Kia ora Erika, 

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 13 May 2025. You requested:

 

"A document called "covid-19-vaccine-what-to-expect-v2.pdf " from your
website says
"Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is an important step you can take to protect
yourself from the effects of the virus.  However, we don’t yet know if it
will stop you from catching and passing on the virus. "

There is a copy of this document from 26 Feb 2021 on web.archive.org here
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
 

This document "covid-19-vaccine-what-to-expect-v2.pdf " was removed
sometime after February 2021 from the Ministry of Health's Website.

It is clear the Pfizer Covid 19 vaccine was not tested for a reduction in
disease transmission and "The mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 did not prevent
human-to-human transmission nor prevent COVID-19 infection in the way that
traditional vaccines have been able to do " which is from page 257 of the
4 Dec 2024 report on Covid from the US Whitehouse
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

Kindly provide the following information:
1. The meeting minutes for when the decision to remove this document
"covid-19-vaccine-what-to-expect-v2.pdf " from the Ministry of Health's
website, eg CVTAG or other was made.
2. Any emails, memos, aide memoirs, reports, correspondence etc  about the
"covid-19-vaccine-what-to-expect-v2.pdf “ document prior to the decision
to remove the document and page from the Ministry of Health's website.”

 

The reference number for your request is H2025066844. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was received:
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.   

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([1][email address]).

 

 

Ngā mihi 
 
OIA Services Team 

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

Tēnā koe Erika

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) to the Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 13 May
2025 for information regarding COVID-19 transmission. You requested:

 

1. The meeting minutes for when the decision to remove this document
"covid-19-vaccine-what-to-expect-v2.pdf " from the Ministry of Health's
website, eg CVTAG or other was made.

2. Any emails, memos, aide memoirs, reports, correspondence etc  about the
"covid-19-vaccine-what-to-expect-v2.pdf " document prior to the decision
to remove the document and page from the Ministry of Health's website.

 

Your request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act as no information
has been identified within scope of your request. It is standard practice
to archive publicly available materials when they are superseded by newer,
more accurate, or more complete information as part of routine information
management and quality assurance processes.

 

A later version of the document you refer to was available on the
Ministry’s website in mid-March 2021. This version includes the statement
you refer to: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is an important step you can take
to protect yourself from the effects of the virus.  However, we don’t yet
know if it will stop you from catching and passing on the virus:
[1]web.archive.org/web/20210325023855/https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/....
The associated page and the factsheet were archived at the end of March
2021, and redirected to the Unite Against COVID-19 website:
[2]web.archive.org/web/20210526043746/https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19-vaccine...

 

The Unite Against COVID-19 website then had an updated version of the
factsheet:
[3]https://web.archive.org/web/202107280011...
which amended the line.

 

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:
[4][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: [5][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.  

 

 

 

Ngā mihi 

  

OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health  | Manatū Hauora 

M[6]inistry of Health information releases 

 

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References

Visible links
1. https://web.archive.org/web/202103250238...
2. https://web.archive.org/web/202105260437...
3. https://web.archive.org/web/202107280011...
4. mailto:[email address]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...

Kia ora Erika 
Thank you for your request for official information. The Ministry of
Health reference number for your request is: H2025070218.  
As required under the Official Information Act 1982, the Ministry will
endeavour to respond to your request no later than 20 working days after
the day your request was received. If you'd like to calculate the
timeframe, you can use the Ombudsman's online calculator here:
[1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch.

Ngā mihi 

  

OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health  | Manatū Hauora 

M[2]inistry of Health information releases 

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #30959 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[9]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

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.

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
3. https://web.archive.org/web/202103250238...
4. https://web.archive.org/web/202105260437...
5. https://web.archive.org/web/202107280011...
6. mailto:[email
7. mailto:[email
8. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

Tçnâ koe Erika

 

 

Thank you for your follow up request under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of Health – Manatû Hauora (the Ministry) on
19 July 2025 for:

 

“You say that it is standard practice to archive publicly available
materials when they are superseded by newer, more accurate, or more
complete information as part of routine information management and quality
assurance processes.

 

You are saying there is newer information on the vaccine and its ability
to prevent disease transmission.

 

Kindly share the newer information on covid vaccine and its ability to
prevent disease transmission under the Act, given you say that newer and
more accurate information has superseded the earlier statement which was
"we don’t yet know if it will stop you from catching and passing on the
virus.”

 

As per our previous response, we have not identified any information
within the scope of your previous request.

 

We noted that routine information management includes updating and
archiving materials in response to new information, which explains why
this decision was not formally recorded in meeting minutes. You have
inferred this to mean that the newer information about the effectiveness
of COVID-19 vaccines that prompted this change can be identified and
provided.

 

Information about the effectiveness of the vaccine changed rapidly during
the time period in question. For this reason, we are unable to identify
which research in particular informed the change. This information is not
held; therefore your request is refused under section 18(g)(i) of the Act.
However, it is likely to be within the wide array of research available in
the public domain, which you can view online in places like this:
[1]view-hub.org/vaccine/covid/effectiveness-studies?field_covid_studies_vaccine_all=101.

 

Please note repeated requests for the same information may be considered
vexatious and refused under section 18(h) of the Act.

 

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:
[2][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: [3][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.

 

 

Ngâ mihi 

  

OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health  | Manatû Hauora 

M[4]inistry of Health information releases 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. https://view-hub.org/vaccine/covid/effec...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...