Government actions on Israel being found to be committing genocide
Mike Bell made this Official Information request to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
This request has an unknown status. We're waiting for Mike Bell to read a recent response and update the status.
From: Mike Bell
Dear Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act 1982.
Following recent findings by United Nations bodies that Israel has committed acts amounting to genocide, I request the following information held by MFAT:
1. Any records, correspondence, or briefing notes showing whether New Zealand has considered its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (“Genocide Convention”) in relation to these UN findings.
2. The dates on which any internal or external advice (legal or otherwise) was sought or received about New Zealand’s obligations under the Genocide Convention in this context. I am not requesting the substance of any privileged advice, only the fact that advice was sought/received and the dates concerned.
3. Any Cabinet papers, ministerial briefings, or departmental advice (excluding privileged legal content) that consider what actions, if any, New Zealand should take in response to the UN findings regarding Israel and genocide.
4. Any communications with international partners (e.g. UN member states, the International Court of Justice, or treaty bodies) concerning New Zealand’s position on the genocide findings against Israel.
For clarity, I am not seeking the contents of privileged legal advice, but rather records of actions taken, the existence and timing of advice, and any policy or diplomatic considerations arising from the UN’s findings.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Bell
From: ENQUIRIES
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Please see the below links to ensure you are sending your enquiry to the
correct location.
For all other enquiries that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is
responsible for, you will receive a response in due course.
Immigration, Travel and Visa Enquires:
* New Zealand visas, asylum and other immigrations matters - contact
Immigration New Zealand, by emailing
[1][email address] or visit the Immigration
New Zealand website at: [2]https://www.immigration.govt.nz/ revised
* Visas for other countries and contact details for the foreign
embassies – refer to the relevant foreign representative to New
Zealand. A full list is available at
[3]https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/embassies/.
* Advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas – visit Home
| [4]https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/
* Consular issues - or if you are a New Zealand citizen overseas needing
assistance, email: [5][email address].
Customs and NZ Suppliers/Companies:
* Bringing goods into New Zealand - visit the New Zealand Customs
website at: [6]www.customs.govt.nz.
* NZ suppliers or companies - visit the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
website at: [7]www.nzte.govt.nz.
Authentication, Citizenship and Passports:
* New Zealand passports - visit the Internal Affairs website at:
[8]www.passports.govt.nz.
* New Zealand citizenship - visit the Internal Affairs website at:
[9]www.dia.govt.nz/New-Zealand-citizenship.
* Authentication of documents and Apostilles - visit the Internal
Affairs website at: [10]www.dia.govt.nz/document-authentication
* To attest fingerprints - visit
[11]https://www.police.govt.nz/faq/having-fi...
MFAT Jobs, Scholarships and Graduate Programme:
* New Zealand Scholarships - email [12][email address]
* MFAT Vacancies - visit our website at:
[13]https://vacancies.mfat.govt.nz/.
* MFAT Graduate Programme - email: [14][email address].
OIA requests
* If you have made a request under the Official Information Act 1982,
the Ministry will be in touch to acknowledge your request and discuss
it further if necessary. [15]Official Information Act requests | New
Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ngâ mihi
MFAT ENQUIRIES
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere
195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
[16]www.mfat.govt.nz | [17]www.safetravel.govt.nz
show quoted sections
From: ENQUIRIES
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Kia ora Mike,
Thank you for your OIA request received on 18/09/2025 for:
1. Any records, correspondence, or briefing notes showing whether New
Zealand has considered its obligations under the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (“Genocide Convention”)
in relation to these UN findings.
2. The dates on which any internal or external advice (legal or otherwise)
was sought or received about New Zealand’s obligations under the Genocide
Convention in this context. I am not requesting the substance of any
privileged advice, only the fact that advice was sought/received and the
dates concerned.
3. Any Cabinet papers, ministerial briefings, or departmental advice
(excluding privileged legal content) that consider what actions, if any,
New Zealand should take in response to the UN findings regarding Israel
and genocide.
4. Any communications with international partners (e.g. UN member states,
the International Court of Justice, or treaty bodies) concerning New
Zealand’s position on the genocide findings against Israel.
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
show quoted sections
From: ESD
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Tēnā koe,
Please find the attached response to your request for information
Nga mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatu Aorere
195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand
[1]www.mfat.govt.nz | [2]www.safetravel.govt.nz
UNCLASSIFIED
show quoted sections
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).
Offensive? Unsuitable?
Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid requests for Official Information (read more).
If you believe this request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators
Report this request