Tēnā koe,

 

Thank you for contacting the [1][Ministry of Justice request email] mailbox at the
Ministry of Justice.  

 

This automatic message is to confirm we have received your email - we hope
to acknowledge you and advise next steps within two working days.  

 
Please note that this mailbox is not monitored on weekends, public
holidays or between 17:00 and 08:00 hours on working days.
 
Official Information Act requests can take up to 20 working days to
receive a response.  If the Ministry needs more time, we will inform you.
.

Ngā mihi,

Communications and Ministerial Services | Corporate Services
Ministry of Justice

Justice Centre I Aitken Street

DX Box SX 10088 I Wellington

[2]www.justice.govt.nz

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
2. http://www.justice.govt.nz/

Tēnā koe Layba,

 

Thank you for emailing the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry).

 

We acknowledge receipt of your request under the Official Information Act
1982. 

 

This has been forwarded onto the relevant business unit to respond to. 

 

The Ministry may publish the response to your request on our website, you
can expect that if your OIA is to be published that this will take place
at least 10 working days after it has been sent you. Your name and any
other personal information will be withheld under Section 9(2)(a) (protect
the privacy of natural persons). 

 

You can expect a response by 14/05/2025.

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

   

Communications and Ministerial Services |Corporate Services

Ministry of Justice | Tāhū o te Ture
DX Box SX 10088 | Wellington

[1]www.justice.govt.nz

 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: A <[FOI #30709 email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2025 8:36 PM
To: [Ministry of Justice request email]
Subject: Official Information request - Documents and correspondence from
2020–2025 regarding consent law reform and the Justice Select Committee’s
recommendation to re-examine consent laws.

 

Tēnā koutou,

 

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I am requesting official
information relating to the potential reform of consent laws in New
Zealand between 1 January 2020 and 13 April 2025. To ensure clarity and
due particularity, I have broken this request down into three categories
and am happy to refine further if needed:

 

1. Policy and Legal Documents Held by the Ministry of Justice

 

Please provide copies of:

 

Any final policy documents, briefing papers, Cabinet papers, or internal
discussion documents prepared by or for the Ministry of Justice that
relate to the definition of consent in sexual offence legislation, or
affirmative consent.

 

Any legal advice received by the Ministry regarding the viability or
implications of law reform relating to consent, including any review of
international legal models (e.g. affirmative consent frameworks). Scope
limitation: I do not require duplicate copies, nor drafts unless final
versions are unavailable.

 

2. Correspondence Related to the Justice Select Committee’s Recommendation

 

Please provide copies of:

Correspondence (including emails, letters or memos) between the Ministry
of Justice and the Justice Select Committee in relation to their
recommendation that consent laws be re-examined. Any internal responses,
summaries, or notes created by the Ministry in response to or discussing
that recommendation.

 

3. Ministerial Communications (Limited by Topic and Timeframe) Please
provide any correspondence, briefing notes, or advice provided to or from:

 

Minister Paul Goldsmith (Justice)

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

Minister Karen Chhour (Children and Associate Justice)

 

…that discuss:

 

i. Consent law reform

ii. The Select Committee’s recommendation on re-examining consent iii.
Public calls for the inclusion of affirmative consent standards

 

This includes material dated between October 2023 – April 2025 (i.e.
post-Select Committee recommendation period).

 

Additional Notes:

I am not seeking purely administrative emails, calendar invites, or
duplicate material. If any of this information is publicly available, a
link or reference would be appreciated. If this request would require
substantial collation, I am happy to discuss refining the scope or
prioritising categories.

 

Please provide the information in electronic form, and let me know if
clarification is needed.

 

Ngā mihi nui,

Layba.

 

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

 

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

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[2][FOI #30709 email]

 

Is [3][Ministry of Justice request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Ministry of Justice? If so, please contact us using this form:

[4]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:

[5]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.

 

 

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

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.justice.govt.nz/
2. mailto:[FOI #30709 email]
3. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
4. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
5. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koe Layba,

 

Thank you for your request of 13 April 2025 to the Ministry of Justice
(the Ministry), requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), information regarding consent law reform. Specifically, you
requested:

 

1. Policy and Legal Documents Held by the Ministry of Justice

Please provide copies of:

·         Any final policy documents, briefing papers, Cabinet papers, or
internal discussion documents prepared by or for the Ministry of Justice
that relate to the definition of consent in sexual offence legislation, or
affirmative consent.

·         Any legal advice received by the Ministry regarding the
viability or implications of law reform relating to consent, including any
review of international legal models (e.g. affirmative consent
frameworks). Scope limitation: I do not require duplicate copies, nor
drafts unless final versions are unavailable.

 

2. Correspondence Related to the Justice Select Committee’s Recommendation

Please provide copies of:

·         Correspondence (including emails, letters or memos) between the
Ministry of Justice and the Justice Select Committee in relation to their
recommendation that consent laws be re-examined. Any internal responses,
summaries, or notes created by the Ministry in response to or discussing
that recommendation.

 

3. Ministerial Communications (Limited by Topic and Timeframe) Please
provide any correspondence, briefing notes, or advice provided to or from:

·         Minister Paul Goldsmith (Justice)

·         Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

·         Minister Karen Chhour (Children and Associate Justice)

…that discuss:

i. Consent law reform
ii. The Select Committee’s recommendation on re-examining consent iii.
Public calls for the inclusion of affirmative consent standards
iii. This includes material dated between October 2023 – April 2025 (i.e.
post-Select Committee recommendation period).

 

Section 12(2) of the Act requires that the information sought must be
“specified with due particularity”, which means the Ministry must be
reasonably able to identify what information is being requested by you. In
its current form, part of your request is unclear. Therefore, in line with
section 15(1AA) of the Act, the Ministry is seeking to clarify your
request.

 

Please can you confirm:

 

 1. If you are seeking information specifically focussed on affirmative
consent, or on general consent law reform, which includes affirmative
consent.
 2. If, in part 3 of your request, you mean correspondence between the
Ministry and the individuals you have listed, rather than “Ministerial
communications” between the three individuals you have listed.

 

If you could please respond to us by close of business (5PM) on 1 May
2025, we will be able to better assess your request and action it
accordingly.

 

Please note that under section 15(1AA) of the Act, on receipt of your
rescoped request, it becomes a new request for the purposes of the Act and
resets the timeline.

 

Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to seek a review of the
Ministry’s handling of your request from the Ombudsman.  The Ombudsman can
be contacted at: [1]Contact the Ombudsman | Ombudsman New Zealand

 

We look forward to hearing from you as soon as you are able.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

  Communications and Ministerial Services | Corporate Services

Ministry of Justice | Tāhū o te Ture
Justice Centre | 19 Aitken Street, Wellington (6011)

[2][email address]

[3][email address]

[4][Ministry of Justice request email]

[5]justice.govt.nz

 

 

From: [Ministry of Justice request email]
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 3:14 PM
To: A <[FOI #30709 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Documents and correspondence
from 2020–2025 regarding consent law reform (ref: 121293)

 

Tēnā koe Layba,

 

Thank you for emailing the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry).

 

We acknowledge receipt of your request under the Official Information Act
1982. 

 

This has been forwarded onto the relevant business unit to respond to. 

 

The Ministry may publish the response to your request on our website, you
can expect that if your OIA is to be published that this will take place
at least 10 working days after it has been sent you. Your name and any
other personal information will be withheld under Section 9(2)(a) (protect
the privacy of natural persons). 

 

You can expect a response by 14/05/2025.

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

   

Communications and Ministerial Services |Corporate Services

Ministry of Justice | Tāhū o te Ture
DX Box SX 10088 | Wellington

[6]www.justice.govt.nz

 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: A <[7][FOI #30709 email]>
Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2025 8:36 PM
To: [8][Ministry of Justice request email]
Subject: Official Information request - Documents and correspondence from
2020–2025 regarding consent law reform and the Justice Select Committee’s
recommendation to re-examine consent laws.

 

Tēnā koutou,

 

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I am requesting official
information relating to the potential reform of consent laws in New
Zealand between 1 January 2020 and 13 April 2025. To ensure clarity and
due particularity, I have broken this request down into three categories
and am happy to refine further if needed:

 

1. Policy and Legal Documents Held by the Ministry of Justice

 

Please provide copies of:

 

Any final policy documents, briefing papers, Cabinet papers, or internal
discussion documents prepared by or for the Ministry of Justice that
relate to the definition of consent in sexual offence legislation, or
affirmative consent.

 

Any legal advice received by the Ministry regarding the viability or
implications of law reform relating to consent, including any review of
international legal models (e.g. affirmative consent frameworks). Scope
limitation: I do not require duplicate copies, nor drafts unless final
versions are unavailable.

 

2. Correspondence Related to the Justice Select Committee’s Recommendation

 

Please provide copies of:

Correspondence (including emails, letters or memos) between the Ministry
of Justice and the Justice Select Committee in relation to their
recommendation that consent laws be re-examined. Any internal responses,
summaries, or notes created by the Ministry in response to or discussing
that recommendation.

 

3. Ministerial Communications (Limited by Topic and Timeframe) Please
provide any correspondence, briefing notes, or advice provided to or from:

 

Minister Paul Goldsmith (Justice)

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

Minister Karen Chhour (Children and Associate Justice)

 

…that discuss:

 

i. Consent law reform

ii. The Select Committee’s recommendation on re-examining consent iii.
Public calls for the inclusion of affirmative consent standards

 

This includes material dated between October 2023 – April 2025 (i.e.
post-Select Committee recommendation period).

 

Additional Notes:

I am not seeking purely administrative emails, calendar invites, or
duplicate material. If any of this information is publicly available, a
link or reference would be appreciated. If this request would require
substantial collation, I am happy to discuss refining the scope or
prioritising categories.

 

Please provide the information in electronic form, and let me know if
clarification is needed.

 

Ngā mihi nui,

Layba.

 

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

 

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

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[9][FOI #30709 email]

 

Is [10][Ministry of Justice request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Ministry of Justice? If so, please contact us using this form:

[11]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:

[12]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.

 

 

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

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/cont...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
5. http://www.justice.govt.nz/
6. http://www.justice.govt.nz/
7. mailto:[FOI #30709 email]
8. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
9. mailto:[FOI #30709 email]
10. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
11. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
12. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Tçnâ koe Layba,

 

Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your request for
information.

 

Ngâ mihi,

 

  Communications and Ministerial Services | Corporate Services

Ministry of Justice | Te Tâhû o te Ture
Justice Centre | 19 Aitken Street, Wellington (6011)

[1][email address]

[2][email address]

[3][Ministry of Justice request email]

[4]justice.govt.nz

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: A <[FOI #30709 email]>
Sent: Thursday, May 1, 2025 7:26 PM
To: [Ministry of Justice request email]
Subject: Re: Regarding your request for information (Our ref: 121293)

 

Dear [5][Ministry of Justice request email],

 

1. If am seeking information on general consent law reform, which includes
affirmative consent.

2. I mean correspondence between the

Ministry and the individuals you have listed regarding my request on
consent law reform and affirmative consent.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

A

 

-----Original Message-----

 

Tçnâ koe Layba,

 

 

 

Thank you for your request of 13 April 2025 to the Ministry of Justice 
(the Ministry), requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the 
Act), information regarding consent law reform. Specifically, you

requested:

 

 

 

1. Policy and Legal Documents Held by the Ministry of Justice

 

Please provide copies of:

 

·         Any final policy documents, briefing papers, Cabinet papers, or

internal discussion documents prepared by or for the Ministry of Justice 
that relate to the definition of consent in sexual offence legislation,
or  affirmative consent.

 

·         Any legal advice received by the Ministry regarding the

viability or implications of law reform relating to consent, including
any  review of international legal models (e.g. affirmative consent 
frameworks). Scope limitation: I do not require duplicate copies, nor 
drafts unless final versions are unavailable.

 

 

 

2. Correspondence Related to the Justice Select Committee’s Recommendation

 

Please provide copies of:

 

·         Correspondence (including emails, letters or memos) between the

Ministry of Justice and the Justice Select Committee in relation to their 
recommendation that consent laws be re-examined. Any internal responses, 
summaries, or notes created by the Ministry in response to or discussing 
that recommendation.

 

 

 

3. Ministerial Communications (Limited by Topic and Timeframe) Please 
provide any correspondence, briefing notes, or advice provided to or from:

 

·         Minister Paul Goldsmith (Justice)

 

·         Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

 

·         Minister Karen Chhour (Children and Associate Justice)

 

…that discuss:

 

i. Consent law reform

ii. The Select Committee’s recommendation on re-examining consent iii.

Public calls for the inclusion of affirmative consent standards  iii. This
includes material dated between October 2023 – April 2025 (i.e.

post-Select Committee recommendation period).

 

 

 

Section 12(2) of the Act requires that the information sought must be 
“specified with due particularity”, which means the Ministry must be 
reasonably able to identify what information is being requested by you.
In  its current form, part of your request is unclear. Therefore, in line
with  section 15(1AA) of the Act, the Ministry is seeking to clarify your 
request.

 

 

 

Please can you confirm:

 

 

 

  1. If you are seeking information specifically focussed on affirmative 
consent, or on general consent law reform, which includes affirmative 
consent.

  2. If, in part 3 of your request, you mean correspondence between the 
Ministry and the individuals you have listed, rather than “Ministerial 
communications” between the three individuals you have listed.

 

 

 

If you could please respond to us by close of business (5PM) on 1 May 
2025, we will be able to better assess your request and action it 
accordingly.

 

 

 

Please note that under section 15(1AA) of the Act, on receipt of your 
rescoped request, it becomes a new request for the purposes of the Act
and  resets the timeline.

 

 

 

Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to seek a review of the 
Ministry’s handling of your request from the Ombudsman.  The Ombudsman
can  be contacted at: [1]Contact the Ombudsman | Ombudsman New Zealand

 

 

 

We look forward to hearing from you as soon as you are able.

 

 

 

Ngâ mihi,

 

 

 

   Communications and Ministerial Services | Corporate Services

 

Ministry of Justice | Tâhû o te Ture

Justice Centre | 19 Aitken Street, Wellington (6011)

 

[2][email address]

 

[3][email address]

 

[4][Ministry of Justice request email]

 

[5]justice.govt.nz

 

 

 

 

 

From: [Ministry of Justice request email]

Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 3:14 PM

To: A <[FOI #30709 email]>

Subject: RE: Official Information request - Documents and correspondence 
from 2020–2025 regarding consent law reform (ref: 121293)

 

 

 

Tçnâ koe Layba,

 

 

 

Thank you for emailing the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry).

 

 

 

We acknowledge receipt of your request under the Official Information Act 
1982.

 

 

 

This has been forwarded onto the relevant business unit to respond to.

 

 

 

The Ministry may publish the response to your request on our website, you 
can expect that if your OIA is to be published that this will take place 
at least 10 working days after it has been sent you. Your name and any 
other personal information will be withheld under Section 9(2)(a)
(protect  the privacy of natural persons).

 

 

 

You can expect a response by 14/05/2025.

 

 

 

 

 

Ngâ mihi

 

 

 

   

 

Communications and Ministerial Services |Corporate Services

 

Ministry of Justice | Tâhû o te Ture

DX Box SX 10088 | Wellington

 

[6][6]www.justice.govt.nz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[7][FOI #30709 email]

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[8]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.

 

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

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
4. http://www.justice.govt.nz/
5. mailto:[Ministry of Justice request email]
6. http://www.justice.govt.nz/
7. mailto:[FOI #30709 email]
8. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections