H2024046795 Response Letter.pdf

133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000

7 August 2024

Chris McCashin

By email:  [FYI request #27316 email]
Ref:
H2024046795

Tēnā koe Chris

Response to your request for official information

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) which was partially
transferred from Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora to the Ministry of Health – Manatū
Hauora (the Ministry) on 18 July 2024 for:
Any memos, formal / informal, communications discussing excess deaths and potentially
taking the Pfizer vaccine out of circulation (note AstraZeneca is no longer available) which
functions the same as the Pfizer vaccine.
I have interpreted this part of your request to be for information about excess death and the
Comirnaty (Pfizer) COVID-19 vaccine. Documents within scope of your request are itemised in
Appendix 1 and copies of the documents are enclosed. Please note, phone numbers have been
withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons. I have
considered the countervailing public interest in releasing information and consider that it does
not outweigh the need to withhold at this time.
Any analysis completed by the Ministry of Health on the data released by Steve Kirsch or
your own internal databases. Please let me know what teams, epidemiologists consultants
did the analysis. If no analysis was done, please explain why
The Ministry does not hold any analysis of the data released by Steve Kirsch. With regard to
your request for any analyses on other health data, a more specific request identifying the kind
of analyses that is requested would be required. As such, this part of your request is refused
under section 18(g)(i) of the Act, as the information is not held by the Ministry or another agency
subject to the Act. Please note, while it is permissible to seek information by asking questions
under the Act, a distinction must be drawn between questions which seek information that is
‘held’, and questions which seek to elicit an opinion or explanation. The primary purpose of the
Act is to allow requesters to seek information ‘held’ by agencies. It is not a mechanism for
requesters to seek an explanation or opinion from an agency.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel
free to contact the OIA Services Team on: [email address].

Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.

Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Manatū Hauora website at: www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-
official-information-act-requests.

Nāku noa, nā

Kristie Carter
Group Manager, Intelligence, Surveil ance and Knowledge
Public Health Agency | Te Pou Hauora Tūmatanui

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Appendix 1: List of documents for release

#
Date
Document details
Decision on release
1
16 August 2022
Briefing: Inequities in COVID-19  Some information withheld
Mortality (H20221246)
under section 9(2)(a) of the
Act, to protect the privacy of
2
8 September 2022  Briefing: Excess Mortality Update  natural persons.
– September 2022 (H20221430)

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