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18 December 2025
Attention: A Goodwin
By email:
[FYI request #32963 email]
Tēnā koe
Official information request: Attorney-General’ speech to Lawyers in Government Conference
(March 2021)
Our Ref: OIA-2526084 (OIA353/1)
I refer to your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (
the Act) dated 22 November 2025:
This request refers to ‘Attorney General Speech Instructions (for Lawyers in Government Conference)
and Preliminary Ideas’. This was for the keynote speech the A-G made on 12 Mar 2021.
1) Please can you provide the full ‘speech instructions and preliminary ideas’ document.
2) Paragraph 18 of the instructions notes:
“18. Analysis of fresh data from three trials found that the first shot conferred on average 76%
protection against symptomatic infections from three weeks until 90 days, and reduced transmission
of the disease by 67%.”
Please provide the details/references of the three trials referred to.
Decision
Full “speech instructions and preliminary ideas” document
The Attorney-General is the senior law officer of the Crown. In that capacity, they are not subject to
the Act
.1 Information held by Crown Law on their behalf, to support their work as senior law officer,
is similarly not subject to the Act
.2
The full ‘speech instructions and preliminary ideas’ document reflects communication between staff
in the Office of the Attorney-General and Crown Law. It was developed to support the Attorney’s
work as the senior law officer, including their leadership of government lawyers. The document is
not subject to the Act, and for reasons explained more fully below, I do not think it desirable, in the
public interest, to make it available. Therefore, I refuse this part of your request.
I am aware that part of the ‘speech instructions and preliminary ideas’ document is already in the
public domain. However, I am entitled to make a fresh decision in relation to this fresh request. And
1 Sir Brian Elwood
Request for legal advice provided to the Attorney-General by Ministry of Justice (January 1999, Case No W41067). This can be
accessed at
: https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/resources/request-legal-advice-provided-attorney-general.
2 Sir Brian Elwood
Request to Crown Law Office for legal advice given to Minister (May 2000, Case No W44062)
https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/sites/default/files/2022-
02/Request%20to%20Crown%20Law%20Office%20for%20legal%20advice%20given%20to%20Minister.pdf.
Level 2 Justice Centre, 19 Aitken Street, Wellington 6011 | PO Box 2858 or DX SP20208, Wellington 6140, New Zealand | +64 4 472 1719 | crownlaw.govt.nz
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2
the fact that part of a document is already in the public domain does not convert a document that
is not subject to the Act, into one that is.
Even if the document you requested were subject to the Act, I would have withheld it:
• to protect the privacy of natural persons (specifically junior staff members in the Office of
the Attorney-General and at Crown Law)—s 9(2)(a).
• as a working document which records free and frank expression of opinions in the
development of a speech— s 9(2)(g)(i).
• to maintain legal professional privilege—s 9(2)(h).
I do not consider the withholding of the information would be outweighed by other considerations
which render it desirable, in the public interest, to make it available.
Details/references of the three trials
Given the Attorney-General’s speech was delivered in 2021, we are unable to confirm with certainty
the source of this information. However, given the content and context (including timing), we
believe it was sourced from a pre-print academic article authored by Merryn Voysey et al, entitled
Single dose administration, and the influence of the timing of the booster dose on immunogenicity
and efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine. The pre-print version of the article is publicly
available at
https://ssrn.com/abstract=3777268.
Conclusion
If we decide proactive release of this information is or may be in the public interest, we may publish
this response (with your personal details redacted), and related documents, on Crown Law’s
website. If you have any concerns about this, please let us know within 10 working days of this letter.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of my decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please contact
[Crown Law Office request email].
Nāku noa, nā
Crown Law
Daniel Perkins
Senior Crown Counsel
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