Purchases of Covid-19 vaccines
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health
Currently waiting for a response from Ministry of Health, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
Dear Ministry of Health,
Please provide a list of the vaccines against COVID-19 which the Ministry of Health purchased in the three fiscal years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and 2022-23 inclusive (name and number of individual doses of vaccines) or any record which includes this information.
Under section 16(2) of the OIA our preferences are (a) to receive a copy of the whole document (b) that the information is disclosed in a text searchable format, either Word or PDF, and (c) that it is sent to the email address from which the Ministry received this request.
If the Ministry decides that there is 'good reason' under the OIA to withhold any of the information we are requesting, then under section 19(a)(ii) of the OIA, we further request that the Ministry provide us with the grounds in support of each instance of a withholding reason cited for refusal. Guidance for agencies on how to meet their section 19(a)(ii) obligations is available from the Ombudsman at this location: https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/reso...
If you need to clarify anything in relation to this request, please get in touch.
Yours faithfully,
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
From: OIA Requests
Kia ora
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 24 June 2025. You requested:
Please provide a list of the vaccines against COVID-19 which the Ministry
of Health purchased in the three fiscal years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and
2022-23 inclusive (name and number of individual doses of vaccines) or any
record which includes this information.
The reference number for your request is H2025069005. 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: [1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([2][email address]).
Ngā mihi
OIA Services Team
[3]Ministry of Health information releases
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
From: OIA Requests
Kia ora,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) to the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 24 June
2025. You requested:
“Please provide a list of the vaccines against COVID-19 which the Ministry
of Health purchased in the three fiscal years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and
2022-23 inclusive (name and number of individual doses of vaccines) or any
record which includes this information.”
Relevant information from 1 July 2022 onwards is held by Pharmac. For this
reason, the Ministry is partially transferring your request to their
agency under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect a response from
Pharmac in due course: [1][email address]
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: [2][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.
Ngā mihi
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
M[3]inistry of Health information releases
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
<[FOI #31383 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 24 June 2025 17:07
To: OIA Requests <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Purchases of Covid-19 vaccines
Dear Ministry of Health,
Please provide a list of the vaccines against COVID-19 which the Ministry
of Health purchased in the three fiscal years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and
2022-23 inclusive (name and number of individual doses of vaccines) or any
record which includes this information.
Under section 16(2) of the OIA our preferences are (a) to receive a copy
of the whole document (b) that the information is disclosed in a text
searchable format, either Word or PDF, and (c) that it is sent to the
email address from which the Ministry received this request.
If the Ministry decides that there is 'good reason' under the OIA to
withhold any of the information we are requesting, then under section
19(a)(ii) of the OIA, we further request that the Ministry provide us with
the grounds in support of each instance of a withholding reason cited for
refusal. Guidance for agencies on how to meet their section 19(a)(ii)
obligations is available from the Ombudsman at this location:
[4]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
If you need to clarify anything in relation to this request, please get in
touch.
Yours faithfully,
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #31383 email]
Is [Ministry of Health request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests
to Ministry of Health? If so, please contact us using this form:
[5]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[6]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.
show quoted sections
From: Web Enquiry
Kia ora New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
Thank you for your request for official information, which was transferred
to Pharmac by the Ministry of Health on 8 July 2025. The reference number
for your request is: 2025-26-010
You should receive a response from us on or before 5 August 2025. This is
within the 20 working day limit set out in the Official Information Act.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Ngā mihi,
Government Services | Pharmac
___________________________________________________________________
Pharmac - Te Pātaka Whaioranga | Level 9, 40 Mercer Street, Wellington
[1]www.pharmac.govt.nz
________________
From: OIA Requests <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 July 2025 9:45 am
To: New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
<[FOI #31383 email]>
Subject: Partial transfer of your request for official information, ref:
H2025069005 CRM:0461856
Kia ora,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) to the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 24 June
2025. You requested:
“Please provide a list of the vaccines against COVID-19 which the Ministry
of Health purchased in the three fiscal years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and
2022-23 inclusive (name and number of individual doses of vaccines) or any
record which includes this information.”
Relevant information from 1 July 2022 onwards is held by Pharmac. For this
reason, the Ministry is partially transferring your request to their
agency under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect a response from
Pharmac in due course: [2][email address]
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: [3][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.
Ngā mihi
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
M[4]inistry of Health information releases
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
<[5][FOI #31383 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 24 June 2025 17:07
To: OIA Requests <[6][email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Purchases of Covid-19 vaccines
Dear Ministry of Health,
Please provide a list of the vaccines against COVID-19 which the Ministry
of Health purchased in the three fiscal years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and
2022-23 inclusive (name and number of individual doses of vaccines) or any
record which includes this information.
Under section 16(2) of the OIA our preferences are (a) to receive a copy
of the whole document (b) that the information is disclosed in a text
searchable format, either Word or PDF, and (c) that it is sent to the
email address from which the Ministry received this request.
If the Ministry decides that there is 'good reason' under the OIA to
withhold any of the information we are requesting, then under section
19(a)(ii) of the OIA, we further request that the Ministry provide us with
the grounds in support of each instance of a withholding reason cited for
refusal. Guidance for agencies on how to meet their section 19(a)(ii)
obligations is available from the Ombudsman at this location:
[7]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
If you need to clarify anything in relation to this request, please get in
touch.
Yours faithfully,
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[8][FOI #31383 email]
Is [9][Ministry of Health request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Ministry of Health? If so, please contact us using this form:
[10]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[11]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.
show quoted sections
From: New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
Dear Pharmac and Ministry of Health,
Thank you for your email about the partial transfer of our OIA request made to the Ministry of Health.
We are puzzled by this transfer, since this Pharmac page (https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-res...) states that "Management of COVID-19 vaccines transferred to Pharmac from Ministry of Health (Manatū Hauora) on 1 July 2023" and the Council's request is for information on spending in the years 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23.
Our understanding is that the government fiscal year ends on 30 June, and therefore the information we are seeking — for spending up until 30 June 2023 — is more likely to be held by the Ministry of Health.
Please could you explain why Pharmac has accepted partial transfer of this request.
Thanks.
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
From: Web Enquiry
Thank you for contacting Pharmac, we have received your enquiry and will
endeavour to have a reply to you as soon as we can.
Pharmac cannot provide medical advice. If you have questions about your
health or are experiencing side effects from medicines, please call:
· Your usual healthcare provider.
· Healthline on 0800 611 116.
· 111 for medical emergencies.
This e-mail message and any accompanying attachments may contain
confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, please do
not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or
attachments. If you have received this message in error, please notify the
sender immediately and delete this message.
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To Pharmaceutical Management Agency by New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Dear New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties and interested followers,
As someone following this Official Information Act (OIA) request, I’ve reviewed the correspondence to date and would like to offer a summary, observations, and suggestions to support the Council’s pursuit of transparency regarding COVID-19 vaccine purchases by the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the fiscal years 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23, as well as to assist others interested in this or similar requests.
Summary of the Request and Correspondence
The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties submitted this OIA request on June 24, 2025, seeking a list of COVID-19 vaccines purchased by the MoH, including the name and number of individual doses, for the fiscal years 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23. The request asked for the information in a text-searchable format (Word or PDF) and requested grounds for any withholding under section 19(a)(ii) of the OIA.
• MoH Response (July 8, 2025): The MoH acknowledged the request (reference H2025069005) and partially transferred it to Pharmac, stating that Pharmac holds relevant information from July 1, 2022, onwards. No explanation was provided for why the MoH could not provide data for the full period or why the transfer was partial.
• Pharmac Response (July 8, 2025): Pharmac acknowledged the transferred request (reference 2025-26-010) and committed to responding by August 5, 2025, within the OIA’s 20-working-day timeframe.
• Council’s Follow-Up: The Council questioned the partial transfer, citing Pharmac’s website (https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-res...), which states that Pharmac’s management of COVID-19 vaccines began on July 1, 2023. Since the fiscal year ends on June 30, the Council argued that the MoH should hold data for the entire 2020–23 period.
• Pharmac’s Auto-Reply: Pharmac sent an automated acknowledgment of the Council’s follow-up but has not yet provided a substantive response.
• Current Status: As of July 10, 2025, no data on vaccine purchases has been provided, and the Council’s query about the transfer remains unanswered. Responses from both the MoH and Pharmac are due by August 5, 2025.
Observations and Potential Issues
1 Questionable Partial Transfer:
◦ The MoH’s decision to transfer data responsibility for July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, to Pharmac appears inconsistent with Pharmac’s stated role starting July 1, 2023. This raises concerns about whether the MoH is unnecessarily deferring responsibility, potentially delaying or fragmenting the response.
◦ The lack of explanation for the partial transfer could be perceived as a lack of transparency, especially since the MoH likely holds data for the full 2020–23 period, as the Council noted.
2 Delay in Substantive Response:
◦ Neither the MoH nor Pharmac has provided the requested data or addressed the Council’s follow-up query about the transfer’s rationale. While the OIA allows 20 working days for a response, the absence of interim updates may frustrate efforts to access timely information in the public interest.
3 Risk of Withholding:
◦ Vaccine procurement data, particularly contract details, is often withheld for commercial sensitivity (e.g., as seen in other OIAs like https://fyi.org.nz/request/30095-pfizer-...). The MoH’s response does not preemptively address potential withholding, despite the Council’s request for grounds under section 19(a)(ii). This could lead to complications if data is later withheld without clear justification.
4 Context from Related OIAs:
◦ Other OIA requests on fyi.org.nz (e.g., https://fyi.org.nz/request/30558-covid-1..., https://fyi.org.nz/request/31368-disposa...) show a pattern of agencies transferring requests or citing commercial sensitivity, suggesting systemic challenges in accessing vaccine-related data. This underscores the need for persistence and clarity in this request.
Suggestions for the Council and Followers
To progress this request and ensure transparency, I recommend the following actions:
1 Monitor Responses:
◦ Regularly check the fyi.org.nz page (https://fyi.org.nz/request/31383-purchas...) for updates from the MoH and Pharmac, expected by August 5, 2025. If no response is received by this date, consider lodging a complaint with the Ombudsman (email: ombudsman@ombudsman.parliament.nz, phone: 0800 802 602) under section 28(3) of the OIA to review the delay.
2 Follow Up with the MoH:
◦ Submit a follow-up OIA to the MoH (via oia@hanz.health.nz) requesting:
▪ Clarification on why data for July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, was transferred to Pharmac, given Pharmac’s role began on July 1, 2023.
▪ Confirmation that the MoH holds data for the full 2020–23 period, as implied by Pharmac’s website.
▪ The requested data (vaccine names and doses) for 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23, or an explanation if it is unavailable.
◦ Reference the Pharmac webpage (https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-res...) to support your query.
3 Engage with Pharmac:
◦ Follow up with Pharmac (via info@pharmac.govt.nz) to confirm whether they hold data for 2022–23 and, if not, to request they return the transferred portion to the MoH for response. Ask for a timeline for their response to avoid further delays.
4 Request Aggregated Data:
◦ If the MoH or Pharmac cites commercial sensitivity (e.g., contract details with manufacturers like Pfizer), request aggregated data (e.g., total doses per vaccine type, such as Pfizer, Moderna, etc.) to bypass sensitive information while meeting the public interest in transparency.
5 Explore Alternative Sources:
◦ Check the MoH’s information releases (https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...) and Pharmac’s website (https://www.pharmac.govt.nz) for annual reports or statements on vaccine procurement. These may contain partial data or context relevant to the request.
◦ Review related OIAs on fyi.org.nz (e.g., https://fyi.org.nz/request/30095-pfizer-...) for insights into how agencies handle vaccine-related data and potential exemptions.
6 Encourage Public Engagement:
◦ Other followers of this request can support transparency by:
▪ Commenting on this fyi.org.nz page to share insights, related OIAs, or public information (e.g., news articles or government reports) that might clarify vaccine procurement.
▪ Submitting parallel OIAs to the MoH or Pharmac for specific subsets of the data (e.g., total doses purchased, without contract details) to increase pressure for disclosure.
▪ Contacting the Ombudsman if responses are inadequate or delayed, reinforcing the public’s right to access this information.
Why This Matters
This OIA request is critical for understanding how public funds were used to procure COVID-19 vaccines, a matter of significant public interest given the scale of the vaccination program and its impact on New Zealand’s pandemic response. The partial transfer and lack of clarity from the MoH risk undermining transparency, particularly if data is fragmented between agencies or withheld without justification. By staying proactive, the Council and supporters can ensure accountability and set a precedent for clear, timely responses to similar requests.
Final Note
Let’s keep the momentum going to ensure the requested data is provided in a transparent and accessible manner.
Thank you for driving this important request forward!
Yours sincerely, Spencer Jones
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