[UNCLASSIFIED]

Kia ora and thank you for your email.

For enquiries regarding:
• Advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas – visit Home |
[1]https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/
• Consular issues - or if you are a New Zealand citizen overseas needing
assistance, email: [email address].
• New Zealand Scholarships - email [email address]
• MFAT Vacancies - visit our website at:
[2]https://vacancies.mfat.govt.nz/.
• MFAT Graduate Programme - email: [email address].
• New Zealand visas, asylum and other immigrations matters - contact
Immigration New Zealand, by emailing
[email address] or visit the Immigration New
Zealand website at: [3]https://www.immigration.govt.nz/ revised
• Visas for other countries - contact the relevant foreign representative
to New Zealand. A full list is available at
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• New Zealand passports - visit the Internal Affairs website at:
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[6]www.dia.govt.nz/New-Zealand-citizenship.
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website at: [7]www.dia.govt.nz/document-authentication.
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at: [8]www.customs.govt.nz.
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Ngâ mihi

 

 

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

UNCLASSIFIED

Kia ora Tyler Smith

Thank you for your OIA request received on 11 March 2025 for:

1. Where did the idea come from to establish a twitter profile seperate to the already existing twitter profile for Rt Hon Winston Peters?

2. Was this idea suggested by MFAT, or Mr Peters/people from his office.

3. Did MFAT identify any risks associated with Mr Peters using his existing twitter profile to publish information related to his Foreign Affairs role?

4. Does Mr Peters have the log in information to publish directly to the @NewZealandMFA profile? Or are any tweets handled by MFAT? (i note tweets from Mr Peters are signed off “WP”

5. What is the sign off process for tweets published or tweets liked by the @NewZealandMFA twitter profile?

6. Please provide any briefings, emails, txts or other communications within MFAT and Foreign Affairs Ministers office related to the establishment of the twitter profile.

This email confirms receipt of your request and advises that we will respond to it as soon as reasonably practicable, and in terms of the timeframes and requirements of the OIA.

Please note that our response letter to you (with your personal details redacted), and any enclosed documents, may be published on the Ministry’s website.

Ngā mihi

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

UNCLASSIFIED
-----Original Message-----
From: Tyler Smith <[FOI #30375 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 12:48 PM
To: ENQUIRIES <[MFAT request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Decision to establish Twitter/X presence

Dear Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

I request information related to the establishment of a Twitter/X profile for use by MFAT on behalf of the Foreign Minister. The handle is @NewZealandMFA.

Usually Government MPs utilise their existing twitter profiles to publish information related to their Ministerial role, however I noticed this was not followed when Rt Hon Winston Peters became foreign minister - I am interested to understand why this happened.

Please advise.

1. Where did the idea come from to establish a twitter profile seperate to the already existing twitter profile for Rt Hon Winston Peters?

2. Was this idea suggested by MFAT, or Mr Peters/people from his office.

3. Did MFAT identify any risks associated with Mr Peters using his existing twitter profile to publish information related to his Foreign Affairs role?

4. Does Mr Peters have the log in information to publish directly to the @NewZealandMFA profile? Or are any tweets handled by MFAT? (i note tweets from Mr Peters are signed off “WP”

5. What is the sign off process for tweets published or tweets liked by the @NewZealandMFA twitter profile?

6. Please provide any briefings, emails, txts or other communications within MFAT and Foreign Affairs Ministers office related to the establishment of the twitter profile.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #30375 email]

Is [MFAT request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"The information contained in this email message is intended only for the addressee and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the Ministry. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this message or the information in it. If you have received this message in error, please email or telephone the sender immediately."

hide quoted sections

[UNCLASSIFIED]

UNCLASSIFIED

Tēnā koe Tyler Smith,

We refer to your official information request of 11 March 2025.

We have transferred your request to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The information to which your request relates is not held by us but is believed to be held by the Minister (section 14(b)(i) of the OIA refers). In these circumstances, we are required by section 14 of the Official Information Act to transfer your request.

You will hear further from the Minister concerning your request.

Ngā mihi

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand
http://www.mfat.govt.nz/ | http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED
-----Original Message-----
From: Tyler Smith <[FOI #30375 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 12:48 PM
To: ENQUIRIES <[MFAT request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Decision to establish Twitter/X presence

Dear Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

I request information related to the establishment of a Twitter/X profile for use by MFAT on behalf of the Foreign Minister. The handle is @NewZealandMFA.

Usually Government MPs utilise their existing twitter profiles to publish information related to their Ministerial role, however I noticed this was not followed when Rt Hon Winston Peters became foreign minister - I am interested to understand why this happened.

Please advise.

1. Where did the idea come from to establish a twitter profile seperate to the already existing twitter profile for Rt Hon Winston Peters?

2. Was this idea suggested by MFAT, or Mr Peters/people from his office.

3. Did MFAT identify any risks associated with Mr Peters using his existing twitter profile to publish information related to his Foreign Affairs role?

4. Does Mr Peters have the log in information to publish directly to the @NewZealandMFA profile? Or are any tweets handled by MFAT? (i note tweets from Mr Peters are signed off “WP”

5. What is the sign off process for tweets published or tweets liked by the @NewZealandMFA twitter profile?

6. Please provide any briefings, emails, txts or other communications within MFAT and Foreign Affairs Ministers office related to the establishment of the twitter profile.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #30375 email]

Is [MFAT request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"The information contained in this email message is intended only for the addressee and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the Ministry. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this message or the information in it. If you have received this message in error, please email or telephone the sender immediately."

hide quoted sections

Dear Tyler Smith,

 

I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act (OIA) request dated
11 March 2025, in which you requested the following:

 

              “1. Where did the idea come from to establish a twitter
profile seperate to the already existing twitter profile for Rt Hon
Winston Peters?

 

                2. Was the idea suggested by MFAT, or Mr Peters/people
from his office?

 

                3. Did MFAT identify any risks associated with Mr Peters
using his existing twitter profile to publish information related to his
Foreign Affairs role?

 

                4. Does Mr Peters have the log in information to publish
directly to the @NewZealandMFA profile? Or any tweets handled by MFAT? (I
note tweets from Mr Peters are signed off “WP”.)

 

               5. What is the sign off process for tweets published or
tweets liked by the @NewZealandMFA twitter profile

 

                6. Please provide any briefings, emails, txts or other
communications within MFAT and Foreign Affairs Ministers office related to
the establishment of the twitter profile?”

 

We received your request on 25 March 2025 after it was transferred to our
Office from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We will endeavour
to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later
than 24 April 2025, being 20 working days after the day your request was
received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

 

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact our office. If any
additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request,
please do not hesitate to contact us so that these can be taken into
account.

 

Kind Regards,

Private Secretary

 

Office of Rt Hon Winston Peters
Deputy Prime Minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs |

Minister for Racing |

Minister for Rail

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand