Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/32179-fale-andrew-lesa-special-officer-to-the-then-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern on September 30, 2025 07:06

Fale Andrew Lesā- special officer to the then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

john luke made this Official Information request to Christopher Luxon

The request was successful.

From: john luke

Dear Christopher Luxon,

I noted,
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story...

"The Selangor State Exco, YB Tuan Ganabatirau Veraman had a fruitful meeting with Mr Fale Andrew Lesa, City Councillor of the Manurewa Local Board - Auckland City Council & Samoan Native United Nations Diplomat and the Special Officer to Jacinda Prime Minister of New Zealand at Selangor State Secretariat Building (SUK) Shah Alam.
During discussions both sides covered entire breath of bilateral cooperation & held productive discussions on strong partnership between the State of Selangor and the Government of New Zealand."

I would appreciate it if you could confirm whether Mr. Andrew Lesā has, in fact, been formally appointed as a Special Officer to the Prime Minister.

Additionally, could you please clarify the Prime Minister’s Office’s policies and procedures regarding the misrepresentation of such roles or titles, particularly in an international context?

Given the seriousness of this matter and its potential implications, I would like to take this opportunity to formally raise this as an issue of public concern.

Yours faithfully,

john luke

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News Reader left an annotation ()

Hey John, just an FYI regarding this, it appears the “Special Officer to the NZ Prime Minister” position claim is not isolated. In a publicly available Facebook link (https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_f...), it appears this claim was also represented at the highest levels of the Malaysian government including when Mr Lesa formally met the then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia , Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

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News Reader left an annotation ()

Hey John, just a correction regarding the above note; Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi is also the current Deputy PM of Malaysia.

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From: Christopher Luxon (MIN)
Christopher Luxon

Kia ora John,

Thank you for your email received 31st August 2025, in which you submitted an Official Information Act request as follows:

"The Selangor State Exco, YB Tuan Ganabatirau Veraman had a fruitful meeting with Mr Fale Andrew Lesa, City Councillor of the Manurewa Local Board - Auckland City Council & Samoan Native United Nations Diplomat and the Special Officer to Jacinda Prime Minister of New Zealand at Selangor State Secretariat Building (SUK) Shah Alam.
During discussions both sides covered entire breath of bilateral cooperation & held productive discussions on strong partnership between the State of Selangor and the Government of New Zealand."

I would appreciate it if you could confirm whether Mr. Andrew Lesā has, in fact, been formally appointed as a Special Officer to the Prime Minister.

Additionally, could you please clarify the Prime Minister’s Office’s policies and procedures regarding the misrepresentation of such roles or titles, particularly in an international context?

Your request is being considered in accordance with the Act, and you can expect a response by 26th September 2025 (date determined by the OIA calculator).

Ngā mihi nui

Sonya Ford
Correspondence Lead Advisor | Office of Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister
Minister for National Security and Intelligence
Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services

 
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

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From: Sarah Boyle

Attachment MOIA Reply PMO OIA 529 2025 26 OIA 2025 26 0151 Luke special officer to the then Prime 5109719.1.pdf
201K Download View as HTML

 

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