OIA Request – Government Communications with Media on Israel-Palestine Coverage
Will Bruce made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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From: Will Bruce
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following:
1. All correspondence (emails, meeting minutes, phone logs, or memoranda) since 1 October 2023 between [specify: e.g., the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Justice, or MFAT] and the following media outlets regarding editorial coverage of Israel, Palestine, or Gaza:
* RNZ (Radio New Zealand)
* TVNZ
* Stuff
* NZ Herald
* Newshub (Warner Bros. Discovery)
2. Any directives, guidance, or suggestions provided to these outlets by government officials or agencies about terminology, framing, or narrative emphasis in reporting on the conflict (e.g., use of "terrorist" vs. "militant," "genocide" vs. "war").
3. Records of complaints or pressure from external entities (e.g., foreign governments, lobby groups, or advocacy organisations) that were forwarded to or discussed with NZ media outlets by government agencies.
If any information is withheld, please cite the specific section of the OIA justifying the refusal. Please respond within the statutory 20 working days.
Yours faithfully,
Will Bruce
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for emailing the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(DPMC), including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
DPMC can't respond to emails that are outside its scope. If the subject of
your email doesn't relate to the work of DPMC, we may forward your email
to the appropriate Minister or agency who will respond to you directly. To
find out more about DPMC's functions please view our
website [1]https://dpmc.govt.nz/.
If your correspondence is intended for the Prime Minister please email his
office at [2][email address]. Contact information for
other Members of Parliament can be found at
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Common questions:
* Official Information Act (OIA) requests will be formally acknowledged
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about the statutory OIA timeframes please see
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)
received on 11 May 2025, copied below. We will respond to your request
within the statutory timeframes set out in the Act. If we are unable to
meet these timeframes we will notify you.
Your request will be managed by the Ministerial Services team within DPMC.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at
[DPMC request email].
DPMC may publish the response to your OIA request. If we publish the
response your personal information, including your name and contact
details, will be removed.
Ngâ mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [DPMC request email]
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora Will,
Thank you for your below OIA request, which is currently being assessed.
Could you please clarify whether you are interested exclusively in
information held by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(DPMC), or whether you are seeking all information relevant to the matters
you have raised?
If you are seeking all relevant information, DPMC may consider
transferring part, or all, of your request to Ministers or other agencies
under section 14 of the Act. If you have already made your request to
other agencies or Ministers, where appropriate DPMC may refer you to their
responses.
I would appreciate your response by 5pm, Wednesday 21 May. If I don't hear
from you, I will proceed with your request as it is currently framed,
which may include transferring it.
Ngâ mihi
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [DPMC request email]
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From: Will Bruce
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email. To clarify my request:
I am seeking all relevant information across government agencies, including but not limited to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC). I consent to the transfer of any applicable parts of my request to other agencies or Ministers under section 14 of the OIA, provided that:
1. I am notified of which agencies/Ministers the request (or parts) have been transferred to;
2. The specific aspects of my request each recipient is handling are clearly identified; and
3. The expected timelines for their responses are communicated to me.
If DPMC identifies records that involve consultation with other agencies rather than a full transfer, I expect to be informed of any extensions or redactions resulting from inter-agency coordination.
Please let me know if further clarification is needed. I appreciate your assistance in ensuring this request is processed comprehensively.
Yours sincerely,
Will Bruce
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
DPMCOIA Transfer OIA 2024 25 0880 Bruce Communications with media regarding Israel Palesti 5019830.1.pdf
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[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora,
Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.
Ngā mihi,
+---------------------------------------------+
|Ministerial Coordinator |
|---------------------------------------------|
|Ministerial Services |
|---------------------------------------------|
|Strategy, Governance and Engagement |
|---------------------------------------------|
|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
|---------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------|
|E [1][DPMC request email] |
| |
| |
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|The information contained in this email|
|message is for the attention of the intended|
|recipient only and is not necessarily the|
|official view or communication of the|
|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.|
|If you are not the intended recipient you|
|must not disclose, copy or distribute this|
|message or the information in it. If you have|
|received this message in error, please|
|destroy the email and notify the sender|
|immediately. |
+---------------------------------------------+
Link: [2]File-List
Link: [3]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [4]themeData
Link: [5]colorSchemeMapping
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The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
3. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
4. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
5. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
7. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
8. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
9. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
From: ESD
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Kia ora Will,
Thank you for your OIA request received on 19/05/2025 for:
1. All correspondence (emails, meeting minutes, phone logs, or memoranda)
since 1 October 2023 between [specify: e.g., the Prime Minister’s Office,
Ministry of Justice, or MFAT] and the following media outlets regarding
editorial coverage of Israel, Palestine, or Gaza:
* RNZ (Radio New Zealand)
* TVNZ
* Stuff
* NZ Herald
* Newshub (Warner Bros. Discovery)
2. Any directives, guidance, or suggestions provided to these outlets by
government officials or agencies about terminology, framing, or narrative
emphasis in reporting on the conflict (e.g., use of "terrorist" vs.
"militant," "genocide" vs. "war").
3. Records of complaints or pressure from external entities (e.g., foreign
governments, lobby groups, or advocacy organisations) that were forwarded
to or discussed with NZ media outlets by government agencies.
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.
Ngâ mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere
UNCLASSIFIED
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From: ESD
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Tçnâ koe Will Bruce
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 request (OIA),
transferred from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 20 May 2025. Your request was
for:
1. “All correspondence (emails, meeting minutes, phone logs,
or memoranda) since 1 October 2023 between [specify: e.g., the Prime
Minister’s Office, Ministry of Justice, or MFAT] and the following media
outlets regarding editorial coverage of Israel, Palestine, or Gaza:
a. RNZ (Radio New Zealand)
b. TVNZ
c. Stuff
d. NZ Herald
e. Newshub (Warner Bros. Discovery)
2. Any directives, guidance, or suggestions provided to these
outlets by government officials or agencies about terminology, framing, or
narrative emphasis in reporting on the conflict (e.g., use of "terrorist"
vs. "militant," "genocide" vs. "war").
3. Records of complaints or pressure from external entities
(e.g., foreign governments, lobby groups, or advocacy organisations) that
were forwarded to or discussed with NZ media outlets by government
agencies.”
I am writing to advise that responding to your request as currently framed
would require review of a significant amount of information, to locate
information potentially in scope. As such, it is likely that your request
will be refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as it would require
substantial collation and research.
Accordingly, I am seeking your agreement to refine your request to be for:
1. “All correspondence from 1 January 2025 to 20 May 2025
between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the following media
outlets relating to Israel, Palestine and Gaza:
a. RNZ (Radio New Zealand)
b. TVNZ
c. Stuff
d. NZ Herald
e. Newshub (Warner Bros. Discovery)
2. Any directives, guidance, or suggestions provided to these
outlets by government officials or agencies about terminology, framing, or
narrative emphasis in reporting on the conflict (e.g., use of "terrorist"
vs. "militant," "genocide" vs. "war").
3. Records of complaints or pressure from external entities
(e.g., foreign governments, lobby groups, or advocacy organisations) that
were forwarded to or discussed with NZ media outlets by government
agencies.”
To speed up this process, grateful if you are able to confirm we can
exclude names of staff and journalists from the scope of this request as
well.
Please confirm if you are happy to proceed with the refined request above,
by 3 June 2025. If we do not hear from you, we will proceed with your
original request.
Please note, any clarification or amendment of a request is considered to
be a new request for the purpose of calculating the maximum statutory
timeframe for response (section 15(1AA) of the OIA refers).
Ngâ mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere
UNCLASSIFIED
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From: Will Bruce
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for your email of 27 May 2025 regarding my OIA request. I appreciate your efforts to process this request efficiently and acknowledge the challenges of collating information across a broad timeframe.
While I understand the volume of material involved, I wish to retain the original date range (1 October 2023 – present) to ensure a comprehensive understanding of communications during critical periods of the Israel-Palestine conflict. However, in the interest of proportionality, I propose the following refinements:
1. Limit the scope to MFAT-only records (excluding other agencies, given the partial transfer from DPMC).
2. Exclude names of staff and journalists (as suggested), provided substantive content (e.g., institutional positions, policy guidance) is retained.
3. Focus on high-level correspondence (e.g., ministerial briefings, policy directives, or external complaints) rather than routine administrative exchanges.
This approach balances the public interest in transparency with the practical constraints of retrieval. Should MFAT still consider this scope unworkable, I would appreciate clarification on:
* The estimated volume of records requiring review.
* Whether a staggered release (e.g., by time period or theme) could mitigate resourcing concerns.
Please confirm whether this adjusted framework is acceptable. If not, I reserve the right to pursue the original request, noting that a refusal under section 18(f) may warrant review by the Ombudsman.
Ngā mihi,
Will Bruce
From: ESD
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Tēnā koe
Thank you for your response.
Thank you for confirming we can limit the request to only information
prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the Ministry), and
exclude names of staff and journalists.
In the first instance, it is unclear what you mean by “Focus on high-level
correspondence (e.g., ministerial briefings, policy directives, or
external complaints) rather than routine administrative exchanges.” Can
you please clarify this further?
Secondly, the Ministry receive a significant volume of emails relating to
Israel-Gaza, and equally have responded to many media and Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA) requests since October 2023.
The Ministry’s correspondence with journalists relating to media queries
is limited to simple questions and answers, and would not include any
directions other than to provide the Ministry’s response. An initial
search of the Ministry’s media team email inbox identified more than 7,600
emails in the past 12 months alone when searching using your specified
search terms.
In relation to OIAs from journalists, correspondence would include the
initial request, discussions on the request including refinement, partial
transfers and extensions (as necessary), and a final response. Similarly,
there would be no directions to media other than to simply provide the
Ministry’s response. In the time period 1 October 2023 to date, searches
of the Ministry’s OIA tracker has identified more than 500 OIA requests
using your specified search terms. In order to respond to your request as
it is currently framed would require assessing all 500 requests to confirm
if they were received by journalists, then review approximately 1,000
emails (not including any discussions on request outside of initial
request and final response) to assess for potential release.
Furthermore, a search of the Ministry’s OIA tracker in the time period 1
January 2025 to date has identified more than 100 OIA requests using your
specified search terms, which would then require assessment of all
requests to determine if they are scope and then potentially reviewing
approximately 200 emails to assess for release.
It is noted that many requests on this topic have been proactively
released on the Ministry website – you may wish to visit these pages for
some examples of the discussions with journalists on this matter:
o [1]Official Information Act responses | New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
o [2]Israel-Hamas Conflict | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade
To confirm, to assess at least 8,600 emails for your request would put
significant pressure on the Ministry’s ability to perform its regular
functions and accordingly your proposed amendment would still fall within
grounds for refusal under section 18(f) of the OIA. A staggered response
would not make this manageable, particularly when as referenced earlier
the Ministry does not have discussions with journalists outside of
standard question and answer communications.
In our initial assessment of the volume of information potentially in
scope we had not also considered the impact of assessing OIA requests and
responses. We again kindly ask that you consider refining your request as
follows, with a small amendment to exclude OIA requests:
1. “All email correspondence from 1 January 2025 to 20 May
2025 between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s media team and
the following media outlets relating to Israel, Palestine and Gaza:
a. RNZ (Radio New Zealand)
b. TVNZ
c. Stuff
d. NZ Herald
e. Newshub (Warner Bros. Discovery)
2. Any directives, guidance, or suggestions provided to these
outlets by government officials or agencies about terminology, framing, or
narrative emphasis in reporting on the conflict (e.g., use of "terrorist"
vs. "militant," "genocide" vs. "war").
3. Records of complaints or pressure from external entities
(e.g., foreign governments, lobby groups, or advocacy organisations) that
were forwarded to or discussed with NZ media outlets by government
agencies.”
Ngā mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
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From: Will Bruce
Dear ESD,
Thank you for your email of 4 June seeking clarification. I appreciate the opportunity to ensure we are aligned on the scope of this request.
To directly address your questions:
1. Regarding “high-level correspondence” (your point #1):
This refers exclusively to communications involving:
* Policy directives or guidance provided to media outlets regarding terminology, framing, or narrative emphasis in coverage of Israel/Palestine (aligning with your point #2)
* Records of external complaints or pressure from foreign governments, lobby groups, or advocacy organisations that were forwarded to or discussed with NZ media outlets (aligning with your point #3)
* Communications originating from or involving senior staff (Minister’s office, Deputy Secretaries, or divisional heads)
2. Confirmed exclusions (as per my 28 May email):
* All correspondence related to OIA requests and processing
* Routine media queries and responses
* Administrative or logistical communications
To assist with processing, I suggest:
* Applying keyword filters (e.g., “guidance”, “terminology”, “narrative”, “complaint”)
* Limiting searches to communications involving the Minister’s office, Deputy Secretaries, or Middle East Division leads
Next steps requested:
1. Confirmation that future searches will apply these parameters
2. A revised estimate of relevant records under this correct scope
3. Clarification as to whether any records exist matching points #2 and #3 above
I trust this provides the clarity needed to progress this request efficiently. Should MFAT believe this scope remains unworkable, I would appreciate specific reference to the relevant OIA section justifying any refusal, along with any proposed alternatives.
Yours sincerely,
Will Bruce
From: ESD
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Tēnā koe
Can I please confirm that your request now only seeks information relating to parts 2 and 3 of your original request in this instance? It is noted that the Ministry has only attempted to refine the scope of part 1 of your request - the Ministry can respond to parts 2 and 3 of your original request in the original timeframes requested.
Ngā mihi
Executive Services Division
Manatū Aorere | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
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From: Will Bruce
Dear ESD,
Thank you for your email of 9 June. To clarify:
My request still includes Part 1, but refined as outlined in my email of 7 June 2025, specifically:
1. Scope of Part 1:
* Limited to high-level correspondence involving:
* Policy directives, guidance, or terminology discussions (aligned with Part 2).
* Records of external complaints or pressure forwarded to media (aligned with Part 3).
* Communications from senior MFAT staff (e.g., Minister’s office, Deputy Secretaries, Middle East Division leads).
* Excluded: Routine administrative exchanges, OIA processing emails, and names of staff/journalists.
2. Proposed search filters: Keywords such as “guidance,” “terminology,” “narrative,” or “complaint” to streamline retrieval.
Parts 2 and 3 remain unchanged and can be processed concurrently.
If MFAT believes the refined Part 1 is still unworkable, please:
* Provide a detailed justification under section 18(f) of the OIA, including:
* Estimated hours required to apply the above filters.
* Whether any records exist under this scope.
Alternatively, confirm if a staggered release(e.g., by timeframe or division) would resolve resourcing concerns.
I trust this removes any ambiguity. Given the extended dialogue, I would appreciate confirmation of next steps by 14 June 2025.
Ngā mihi,
Will Bruce
From: Will Bruce
Dear ESD,
Thank you for your email of 9 June. To clarify:
My request still includes Part 1, but refined as outlined in my email of 7 June 2025, specifically:
1. Scope of Part 1:
Limited to high-level correspondence involving:
* Policy directives, guidance, or terminology discussions (aligned with Part 2).
* Records of external complaints or pressure forwarded to media (aligned with Part 3).
* Communications from senior MFAT staff (e.g., Minister’s office, Deputy Secretaries, Middle East Division leads).
* Excluded: Routine administrative exchanges, OIA processing emails, and names of staff/journalists.
2. Proposed search filters: Keywords such as “guidance,” “terminology,” “narrative,” or “complaint” to streamline retrieval.
Parts 2 and 3 remain unchanged and can be processed concurrently.
If MFAT believes the refined Part 1 is still unworkable, please:
* Provide a detailed justification under section 18(f) of the OIA, including:
* Estimated hours required to apply the above filters.
* Whether any records exist under this scope.
* Alternatively, confirm if a staggered release(e.g., by timeframe or division) would resolve resourcing concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Will Bruce
From: ESD
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Tēnā koe
Please find attached response to your Official Information Act 1982
request.
Ngā mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere
UNCLASSIFIED
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