UNCLASSIFIED
New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
195 Lambton Quay
30 January 2026
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
T +64 4 439 8000
F +64 4 472 9596
James Hart
OIA 30630
[FYI request #32797 email]
Tēnā koe James Hart
Thank you for your email of 10 November 2025 in which you request the following under
the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request:
- Copies of all communications, correspondence, briefing notes, or reports
between: The New Zealand Government (including the Prime Minister, the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Trade), and The Office of the President of the United States (specifically
President Donald J. Trump or President Joseph R. Biden Jr.), during the period
1 January 2021 to the present.
- I request all copies of all email correspondence (including attachments) between
the above offices from 1 January 2021 to 31 January 2021, where either
“Donald Trump” or “Joe Biden” is mentioned in the subject line or body.”
On the 20 November 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) contacted
you to clarify the scope of your request. You confirmed on the 16 December 2025, that
your request relates to:
“working-level communications held by MFAT concerning the Prime Minister of
New Zealand and the President of the United States since 2021, including
correspondence, briefings, records of contact, and arrangements for meetings.”
On the same day, the portion of your request that relates to information held by the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) was transferred to DPMC for
response under section 14(b) of the OIA.
On 9 January 2026, MFAT contacted you again to further discuss the scope of your
request, as the request in its current form would capture a significant volume of
information.
As we did not receive a response from you, your request is refused under section 18(f)
of the OIA, as the information sought cannot be made available without substantial
collation or research.
UNCLASSIFIED
Page 2 of 2
Please contact us if you would like to proceed with another OIA request, and we will be
happy to discuss a refinement of this request with you.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official
information requests where possible. Therefore, our response to your request (with your
personal information removed) may be published on the Ministry website:
www.mfat.govt.nz/en/about-us/contact-us/official-information-act-responses/
If you have any questions about this decision, you can contact us by email at:
[email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of this decision by contacting
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Owen Thornber
for Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade
