Tçnâ koe Lance D. Lavery,

Thank you for your email received 3 July 2025, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National Office to respond.

The information you have requested may contain the names and contact details of our staff. Please let us know by 7 July 2025 whether you require these names and contact details. We will need to consult our staff before deciding whether we can release this information, and this will take a bit more time. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you do not require staff names and contact details.

Ngâ manaakitanga,

Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development

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We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent
Ko ta mâtou he whakamana tangata kia tû haumaru, kia tû kaha, kia tû motuhake

-----Original Message-----
From: Lance D. Lavery <[FOI #31485 email]>
Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 4:18 PM
To: OIA_Requests (MSD) <[MSD request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Political editing of Youth Parliament speeches

Dear Ministry of Social Development,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I seek the following information held by the Ministry of Youth Development (Te Manatû Whakahiato Taiohi), administered within MSD:

1. All email communications from MYD’s Youth Parliament Project Team sent to Youth MPs between 1 April and 2 July 2025 whose subject lines include “Changes required” (or similar wording) that advised removals or edits regarding:

-Criticism of ministers or government,

-Politically sensitive themes (e.g. pay equity, climate, Treaty Principles Bill, voting rights, freedom of expression),

-Concerns about defamation, political neutrality, or non-partisanship.

2. Internal guidance, memos, or policy documents that informed or justified these communications.

3. Any correspondence relating to the decision not to livestream Youth Parliament debates or to restrict public access to recordings.

Given the strong public interest in protecting rangatahi democratic participation, I ask for minimal redactions, justified by reference to the Act if necessary.

Yours faithfully,

Lance D. Lavery

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