Legal advice and Cabinet papers regarding Pfizer/Comirnaty provisional consent and Medicines Amendment Act 2021

John Armstrong made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The request was refused by Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

From: John Armstrong

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information:

1/ Legal advice and internal correspondence between the Prime Minister and cabinet with Medsafe, the Ministry of Health, or Crown Law concerning the grant of provisional consent to Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine) under s23 of the Medicines Act 1981, including:

2/ Any advice or opinion regarding the requirement in s23 (pre-amendment) that consent be limited to “the treatment of a limited number of patients.”

3/ Any assessment of whether the provisional consent for Comirnaty was intra vires or ultra vires s23. Any briefings to the Minister of Health on this legal risk.

4/ Cabinet papers, Cabinet minutes, and departmental reports relating to the urgent passage of the Medicines Amendment Act 2021 (enacted 19 May 2021), including:

a/ The legal advice justifying the removal of the “limited number of patients” wording.

b/ Any advice about the need for retrospective validation of provisional consents already granted (including Comirnaty).

c/ Any advice on alternative options that were considered but not adopted.

d/ Communications with external regulators (e.g., Australia’s TGA or international regulators) regarding whether provisional consent in New Zealand was consistent with the scope of s23 at the time.

5/ Any risk assessments or ministerial briefings prepared between November 2020 and June 2021 regarding the legality, legal risk, or judicial review exposure of provisional consents under s23.

Yours faithfully,

John Armstrong

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


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[IN-CONFIDENCE]

 

Kia ora,

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)
received on 4 October 2025, copied below. We will respond to your request
within the statutory timeframes set out in the Act. If we are unable to
meet these timeframes we will notify you.

 

Your request will be managed by the Ministerial Services team within DPMC.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at
[1][DPMC request email].

 

DPMC may publish the response to your OIA request. If we publish the
response your personal information, including your name and contact
details, will be removed.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E    [2][DPMC request email]
 
 
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
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in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 4 October 2025 3:29 pm
To: Information [DPMC] <[DPMC request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Legal advice and Cabinet papers
regarding Pfizer/Comirnaty provisional consent and Medicines Amendment Act
2021

 

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

 

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following
information:

 

1/ Legal advice and internal correspondence between the Prime Minister and
cabinet with Medsafe, the Ministry of Health, or Crown Law concerning the
grant of provisional consent to Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19
vaccine) under s23 of the Medicines Act 1981, including:

 

2/ Any advice or opinion regarding the requirement in s23 (pre-amendment)
that consent be limited to “the treatment of a limited number of
patients.”

 

3/ Any assessment of whether the provisional consent for Comirnaty was
intra vires or ultra vires s23. Any briefings to the Minister of Health on
this legal risk.

 

4/ Cabinet papers, Cabinet minutes, and departmental reports relating to
the urgent passage of the Medicines Amendment Act 2021 (enacted 19 May
2021), including:

 

a/ The legal advice justifying the removal of the “limited number of
patients” wording.

 

b/ Any advice about the need for retrospective validation of provisional
consents already granted (including Comirnaty).

 

c/ Any advice on alternative options that were considered but not adopted.

 

d/ Communications with external regulators (e.g., Australia’s TGA or
international regulators) regarding whether provisional consent in New
Zealand was consistent with the scope of s23 at the time.

 

5/ Any risk assessments or ministerial briefings prepared between November
2020 and June 2021 regarding the legality, legal risk, or judicial review
exposure of provisional consents under s23.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

John Armstrong

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


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[UNCLASSIFIED]

 

Kia ora,

 

Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E    [1][DPMC request email]
 
 
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
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From: MaSS info


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Dear John Arsmtrong

 

We refer to your request which was transferred from the Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) to the Department of Internal Affairs
(the Department) under the Official Information Act (the Act) dated on 14
October 2025.

 

The following part of your request was transferred to the Department:

 

“internal correspondence between the Prime Minister and cabinet with
Medsafe, the Ministry of Health, or Crown Law concerning the grant of
provisional consent to Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine) under
s23 of the Medicines Act 1981”

 

The Department will provide its response to your request as soon as
practicable and within twenty working days. The due date for your request
is 12 November 2025.

 

The Department is also writing to notify that as your request is broad in
nature, it will require substantial collation and research and therefore
may likely be refused under section 18(f) of the Act. The Department is
required under section 18B of the Act to consult with you about amending
your request to a form that would remove our reasons for refusal.
Furthermore, section 12 of the Act requires official information requested
to be specified with due particularity in the request.

 

As such, please refine or provide a clarification in relation to your
request by COB 22 October 2025.  If we do not receive a refinement from
you, a decision may be made based on the information we hold at hand. If
you would like further assistance in relation to your request, kindly
reply back to this email.

 

 

Regards,

 

Ministerial Services

Partnerships and Commissions Branch

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

[1]www.dia.govt.nz

 

[2]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua

 

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From: John Armstrong

Dear MaSS info,

Thank you for your response received today, 17 October 2025.

As per section 12 of the Act (as you referenced) requires official information requested
to be specified with due particularity in the request.

My request complies with section 12 as I seek particular information between the PM, cabinet and Medsafe, MoH and Crown law for correspondence, advice, opinion, meetings and legal risk assessment's for the Provisional Consent given to Pfizer for the Covid-19 vaccine under the current (at the time) s23 of the Medicines Act 1981.

This is for the period: October 2020 - June 2021.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

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From: MaSS info

Dear John

While the Department's Ministerial Services Group is deemed to hold the records of former Ministers of the Crown, we do not have the ability to perform searches on the parliamentary server where the electronic records are stored. To locate and retrieve information related to former Ministers, we require Parliamentary Service (PS) to conduct the necessary searches on our behalf.

Searches for electronic records on the parliamentary server capture relevant information saved by the Minister or their staff. While the Department provides record-keeping advice regarding their obligations, decisions about what information is retained and stored remain the responsibility of the individual Minister, with support from their office.

As the period from 1 October 2020 to June 2021 is quite broad, using keyword searches such as "Risk assessment," "Provisional consent," "Pfizer," "COVID-19 vaccine," and "Medicines Act" may result in a large volume of email correspondence being returned. This could include media alerts and emails from members of the public where these search terms appear.

Therefore, we kindly ask that you refine the time period for your search to something more specific-e.g., a window of two to four weeks.

Additionally, you may wish to further refine your request by suggesting specific keyword searches within a shorter time period to help us better identify the information you require.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-----Original Message-----
From: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Sent: Friday, 17 October 2025 1:33 pm
To: MaSS info <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Acknowledgment of your request and clarification required

Dear MaSS info,

Thank you for your response received today, 17 October 2025.

As per section 12 of the Act (as you referenced) requires official information requested to be specified with due particularity in the request.

My request complies with section 12 as I seek particular information between the PM, cabinet and Medsafe, MoH and Crown law for correspondence, advice, opinion, meetings and legal risk assessment's for the Provisional Consent given to Pfizer for the Covid-19 vaccine under the current (at the time) s23 of the Medicines Act 1981.

This is for the period: October 2020 - June 2021.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

-----Original Message-----

Dear John Arsmtrong

We refer to your request which was transferred from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) to the Department of Internal Affairs (the Department) under the Official Information Act (the Act) dated on 14 October 2025.

The following part of your request was transferred to the Department:

"internal correspondence between the Prime Minister and cabinet with Medsafe, the Ministry of Health, or Crown Law concerning the grant of provisional consent to Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine) under
s23 of the Medicines Act 1981"

The Department will provide its response to your request as soon as practicable and within twenty working days. The due date for your request is 12 November 2025.

The Department is also writing to notify that as your request is broad in nature, it will require substantial collation and research and therefore may likely be refused under section 18(f) of the Act. The Department is required under section 18B of the Act to consult with you about amending your request to a form that would remove our reasons for refusal.
Furthermore, section 12 of the Act requires official information requested to be specified with due particularity in the request.

As such, please refine or provide a clarification in relation to your request by COB 22 October 2025. If we do not receive a refinement from you, a decision may be made based on the information we hold at hand. If you would like further assistance in relation to your request, kindly reply back to this email.

Regards,

Ministerial Services

Partnerships and Commissions Branch

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

[1]http://www.dia.govt.nz/

[2]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua

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-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #32474 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

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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From: John Armstrong

Dear MaSS info,

Thank you for your reply. I would suggest that the search keywords remain the same, however you could narrow the time period to the months of February 2021 and May 2021.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

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From: MaSS info

Dear John

Thank you for refining your OIA request.

We will attempt to undertake a targeted search of the agreed keywords of "Risk assessment", "Provisional consent", "Pfizer", "COVID-19 vaccine" and "Medicines Act" between 1 February 2021 to 31 May 2025.

Please note, as a refinement/clarification of your OIA request was sought within 7 working days of the original date of request, we have restarted the timeframe to respond to your request from 21 October 2025 onwards.

You have the right to complain to the Ombudsman about this decision. Relevant information about how to make a complaint is available at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/ or freephone 0800 802 602.

The Department will be in touch with you if were require further clarification.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-----Original Message-----
From: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 21 October 2025 7:59 am
To: MaSS info <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Refinement required - Acknowledgment of your request and clarification required

Dear MaSS info,

Thank you for your reply. I would suggest that the search keywords remain the same, however you could narrow the time period to the months of February 2021 and May 2021.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

-----Original Message-----

Dear John

While the Department's Ministerial Services Group is deemed to hold the records of former Ministers of the Crown, we do not have the ability to perform searches on the parliamentary server where the electronic records are stored. To locate and retrieve information related to former Ministers, we require Parliamentary Service (PS) to conduct the necessary searches on our behalf.

Searches for electronic records on the parliamentary server capture relevant information saved by the Minister or their staff. While the Department provides record-keeping advice regarding their obligations, decisions about what information is retained and stored remain the responsibility of the individual Minister, with support from their office.

As the period from 1 October 2020 to June 2021 is quite broad, using keyword searches such as "Risk assessment," "Provisional consent," "Pfizer," "COVID-19 vaccine," and "Medicines Act" may result in a large volume of email correspondence being returned. This could include media alerts and emails from members of the public where these search terms appear.

Therefore, we kindly ask that you refine the time period for your search to something more specific-e.g., a window of two to four weeks.

Additionally, you may wish to further refine your request by suggesting specific keyword searches within a shorter time period to help us better identify the information you require.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #32474 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

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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From: MaSS info

Dear John

This email is to inform you of the outcome of the keyword searches conducted in response to your refined request dated 21 October 2025.

The Department commissioned Parliamentary Services to undertake a record search for the email inboxes for Former Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and Former COVID- 19 Recovery Minister, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins. The search used the following keyword combinations:

"Risk assessment" and "Medicines Act"
"Provisional consent" and "Pfizer"
"Provisional consent" and "COVID-19 vaccine"

The search covered the period from 1 February 2021 to 31 May 2021 and resulted in the identification of 2,172 email chains containing the specified keywords.

As previously advised, processing this volume of information would require significant collation and research. Accordingly, the request may be refused under section 18(f) of the Act due to the substantial administrative burden involved.

To help us avoid refusal and proceed with your request, we kindly ask that you further refine the scope of your request. Please provide your revised request by close of business on 28 October 2025.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-----Original Message-----
From: MaSS info <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 21 October 2025 10:30 am
To: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Subject: RE: Refinement required - Acknowledgment of your request and clarification required

Dear John

Thank you for refining your OIA request.

We will attempt to undertake a targeted search of the agreed keywords of "Risk assessment", "Provisional consent", "Pfizer", "COVID-19 vaccine" and "Medicines Act" between 1 February 2021 to 31 May 2025.

Please note, as a refinement/clarification of your OIA request was sought within 7 working days of the original date of request, we have restarted the timeframe to respond to your request from 21 October 2025 onwards.

You have the right to complain to the Ombudsman about this decision. Relevant information about how to make a complaint is available at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/ or freephone 0800 802 602.

The Department will be in touch with you if were require further clarification.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-----Original Message-----
From: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 21 October 2025 7:59 am
To: MaSS info <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Refinement required - Acknowledgment of your request and clarification required

Dear MaSS info,

Thank you for your reply. I would suggest that the search keywords remain the same, however you could narrow the time period to the months of February 2021 and May 2021.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

-----Original Message-----

Dear John

While the Department's Ministerial Services Group is deemed to hold the records of former Ministers of the Crown, we do not have the ability to perform searches on the parliamentary server where the electronic records are stored. To locate and retrieve information related to former Ministers, we require Parliamentary Service (PS) to conduct the necessary searches on our behalf.

Searches for electronic records on the parliamentary server capture relevant information saved by the Minister or their staff. While the Department provides record-keeping advice regarding their obligations, decisions about what information is retained and stored remain the responsibility of the individual Minister, with support from their office.

As the period from 1 October 2020 to June 2021 is quite broad, using keyword searches such as "Risk assessment," "Provisional consent," "Pfizer," "COVID-19 vaccine," and "Medicines Act" may result in a large volume of email correspondence being returned. This could include media alerts and emails from members of the public where these search terms appear.

Therefore, we kindly ask that you refine the time period for your search to something more specific-e.g., a window of two to four weeks.

Additionally, you may wish to further refine your request by suggesting specific keyword searches within a shorter time period to help us better identify the information you require.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #32474 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

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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From: John Armstrong

Dear MaSS info,

Thanks for your response received.

This will be my final amendment to my original request which has now been refined, at your request, numerous times.

Keeping the same time period agreed upon, refine the searches to "Pfizer provisional consent" and "s23 Medicines Act". I await your reply.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

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From: MaSS info


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Attachment OIA 2526 0411 Response letter.pdf
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Dear John Armstrong

 

 

Please see attached a response to your OIA request from the Department of
Internal Affairs.

 

 

Regards,

 

Ministerial Services

Partnerships and Commissions Branch

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

[1]www.dia.govt.nz

 

[2]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua

 

 

 

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From: John Armstrong

Dear MaSS info,

DPMC and DIA,

Clarification and Request for Proper Transfer/Response under the OIA

Thank you for your responses.

However, I remain unclear how this OIA has been handled between DPMC and DIA. DPMC advised that the request was transferred to DIA, yet DIA has responded to only one narrow question and has not addressed the remainder of the request. No explanation has been provided for what happened to the transferred components or why they were not processed.

Under section 14 of the Official Information Act 1982, when an agency transfers a request (whether in full or in part), it must transfer only the information that is more closely connected with the functions of the receiving agency, and inform the requester accordingly. It is unclear whether DPMC transferred the request in full or in part, and whether DIA accepted the full transfer. DIA’s response does not reflect a full transfer.

Further, under section 15(1) agencies must make and communicate a decision on the request, and under section 18 may only refuse information for specified reasons. No such reasons have been provided for the unanswered questions.

Could both agencies please clarify:

What portions of the request were transferred from DPMC to DIA, and on what basis, in accordance with s14 OIA.

Which agency holds responsibility for each of the original questions.

Why only one question was answered, and on what legal basis the remaining questions appear to have gone unanswered, contrary to ss15(1) and 18 OIA.

Whether the remaining questions are now being processed, and if not, please provide a formal refusal citing the relevant section(s) of the Act, as required under s19(a)(i).

I am simply seeking clarity and the requested information, so that the handling of the request aligns with the statutory process and so that each question receives a lawful response under the OIA.

A prompt clarification would be appreciated, failing which a complaint will be made to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

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From: MaSS info

Dear John

DPMC partially transferred part 1 of the original request specific to former Ministers. As such, our response answered the part that was transferred to the Department of Internal Affairs.

Please refer to the transfer letter from DPMC.

Regards,

Ministerial Services
Partnerships and Commissions Branch
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
http://www.dia.govt.nz/

-----Original Message-----
From: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 23 November 2025 5:57 pm
To: MaSS info <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Response to your OIA request - OIA 2526 - 0411

Dear MaSS info,

DPMC and DIA,

Clarification and Request for Proper Transfer/Response under the OIA

Thank you for your responses.

However, I remain unclear how this OIA has been handled between DPMC and DIA. DPMC advised that the request was transferred to DIA, yet DIA has responded to only one narrow question and has not addressed the remainder of the request. No explanation has been provided for what happened to the transferred components or why they were not processed.

Under section 14 of the Official Information Act 1982, when an agency transfers a request (whether in full or in part), it must transfer only the information that is more closely connected with the functions of the receiving agency, and inform the requester accordingly. It is unclear whether DPMC transferred the request in full or in part, and whether DIA accepted the full transfer. DIA's response does not reflect a full transfer.

Further, under section 15(1) agencies must make and communicate a decision on the request, and under section 18 may only refuse information for specified reasons. No such reasons have been provided for the unanswered questions.

Could both agencies please clarify:

What portions of the request were transferred from DPMC to DIA, and on what basis, in accordance with s14 OIA.

Which agency holds responsibility for each of the original questions.

Why only one question was answered, and on what legal basis the remaining questions appear to have gone unanswered, contrary to ss15(1) and 18 OIA.

Whether the remaining questions are now being processed, and if not, please provide a formal refusal citing the relevant section(s) of the Act, as required under s19(a)(i).

I am simply seeking clarity and the requested information, so that the handling of the request aligns with the statutory process and so that each question receives a lawful response under the OIA.

A prompt clarification would be appreciated, failing which a complaint will be made to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Yours sincerely,

John Armstrong

-----Original Message-----

Dear John Armstrong

Please see attached a response to your OIA request from the Department of Internal Affairs.

Regards,

Ministerial Services

Partnerships and Commissions Branch

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

[1]http://www.dia.govt.nz/

[2]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua

References

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1. http://www.dia.govt.nz/

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From: John Armstrong

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

There is 5 questions in my official Information Act request. On the 14th October 2025 DPMC transferred Q1 to DIA who have responded.

However, questions 2 through to question 5 have remained unanswered by your office and is now well overdue. Can you please respond to my lawful request.

Yours faithfully,

John Armstrong

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Tēnā koe, 

Thank you for emailing the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(DPMC).

DPMC cannot respond to emails that are outside its scope. If the subject
of your email does not relate to the work of DPMC, we may forward your
email to the appropriate Minister or agency who will respond to you
directly. To find out more about DPMC's functions please view our
website [1]https://dpmc.govt.nz.
If your correspondence is intended for the Prime Minister please email his
office at [email address]. Contact information for
other Members of Parliament can be found at
[2]https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involve....

Common questions:

Official Information Act (OIA) requests will be formally acknowledged
during office hours and actioned accordingly. For more information about
the statutory OIA timeframes please see
[3]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.
For job opportunities within DPMC see
[4]https://centralagenciesjobs.cass.govt.nz... use this
website to apply for vacancies. Resumes received through other avenues
will not be considered.
New Zealand visas and requests for asylum are managed by Immigration New
Zealand. Please see [5]https://www.immigration.govt.nz/. 
We hope one of the above links helps answer your question. Thanks again
and please take care.
Link: [6]File-List
Link: [7]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [8]themeData
Link: [9]colorSchemeMapping

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3. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
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6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


Attachment image001.png
24K Download


[IN-CONFIDENCE]

 

Kia ora John

 

Thank you for your email of 27 November 2025 following up the response to
your request under the Official Information Act (the Act) to the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) of 4 October 2025.

 

Your request related to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. DPMC responded to
your request on 14 October 2025 explaining that the matters raised in your
request (parts 1 to 5) all related to the functions of the Ministry of
Health (MOH) rather than DPMC.

 

It was explained to you that we would usually transfer your request to MOH
under section 14 of the Act. When we consulted MOH on the potential
transfer of your request to MOH, they advised us that you had already made
the same request directly to MOH. In these circumstances, rather than
transfer the request to MOH (who were already responding to the request
you had made directly to them), we referred you to their response.

 

We identified that part 1 of your request could potentially capture any
relevant email correspondence with former Prime Ministers. As the
Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) hold email correspondence from former
Prime Ministers and you had not made a request directly to DIA, we also
partially transferred part 1 of your request to DIA.

 

The responses to your request would be from both MOH and DIA and there is
no outstanding part of your request remaining with DPMC.

 

Nāku noa, nā

 

Anna Whiskin (She/Her)
Senior Ministerial Advisor
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
23 Kate Sheppard Place
 

The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: John Armstrong <[FOI #32474 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 27 November 2025 1:11 pm
To: Information [DPMC] <[DPMC request email]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Legal advice and Cabinet
papers regarding Pfizer/Comirnaty provisional consent

 

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

 

There is 5 questions in my official Information Act request. On the 14th
October 2025 DPMC transferred Q1 to DIA who have responded.

 

However, questions 2 through to question 5 have remained unanswered by
your office and is now well overdue. Can you please respond to my lawful
request.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

John Armstrong

 

 

 

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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[1][FOI #32474 email]

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[2]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

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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Link: [3]File-List
Link: [4]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [5]themeData
Link: [6]colorSchemeMapping

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

Link: [7]File-List
Link: [8]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [9]themeData
Link: [10]colorSchemeMapping

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The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

References

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2. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
3. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
4. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
5. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
7. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
8. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
9. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
10. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml

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