3 February 2026
S Hil
[FYI request #33207 email]
Ref: PMO OIA 647-2025-26
Dear S,
Official Information Act request: Exchanges between the Prime Minister (or his office)
and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and/or Tony Blair directly
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 10 December
2025. You requested:
“I am requesting all copies and records of exchanges between yourself (or your office)
with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) and/or Tony Blair directly.”
The time frame for responding to your request was extended under section 15A of the Act by
five working days because it necessitated consultations to be undertaken before a decision
could be made on the request. Fol owing this extension, I am now in a position to respond.
Information publicly available
I can confirm that the Prime Minister and staff from this office met with the Tony Blair Institute
(TBI) on 26 June 2024. A record of that meeting is available in the Prime Minister’s
Ministerial
Diary Summary for June 2024 on the following page:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2024-
07/Prime%20Minister%20proactive%20diary%20release%20-%20Jun%202024.pdf. Accordingly, I have refused the part of your request for the record of the Prime Minister’s
meeting with TBI on 26 June 2024 under section 18(d) of the Act – the information
requested is publicly available.
Information being released
Item Date
Document description
Decision
1
14 May 2024 Letter to the Prime Minister from Some information withheld
a TBI representative requesting
under section 9(2)(a).
a meeting with the Prime
Minister
2
15 May 2024 Introduction to TBI
Some information withheld
under section 9(2)(b)(i )
and section 9(2)(ba)(i).
3
16 May 2024 TBI staff profiles
Some information withheld
under section 9(2)(a).
I have decided to release the documents listed above, subject to some information being
withheld under the following sections of the Act:
• section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of individuals
• section 9(2)(b)(i ), to protect the commercial position of the person who supplied the
information, or who is the subject of the information
• section 9(2)(ba)(i), to protect the supply of similar information in the future.
Some information in item 2 is being withheld under section 9(2)(b)(i ) and section 9(2)(ba)(i)
of the Act as it was provided under an obligation of confidence, and sets out TBI’s client list,
and TBI’s areas of focus currently and in the near future. The release of this information
would be likely to prejudice TBI’s commercial position, and prejudice the supply of similar
information in the future, and it is in the public interest that such information continue to be
provided.
With that being said, in the interests of transparency, the paragraphs being withheld in Jalil
Rasheed’s profile summarise his career to date, including various directorship roles he has
held. The paragraphs being withheld in Landon Wilcock’s profile outline his previous work,
primarily for the Government of Canada.
A sentence in item 1
is incorrect stating:
“This request comes following Mr. Tony Blair’s
productive discussion with Your Excellency last year in London.” The Prime Minister did not
meet with Tony Blair as indicated in the letter, accordingly, there is no information to share in
this regard.
Also identified as relevant to your request is a briefing provided by the Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet's Policy Advisory Group to the Prime Minister. This briefing is
provided to the Prime Minister in confidence to support him in his role as leader of the
Government and chair of Cabinet. This briefing is withheld in its entirety under the following
sections of the Act:
• section 9(2)(f)(iv), to maintain the confidentiality of advice tendered by or to Ministers
and officials
• section 9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free
and frank expression of opinion.
In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of
the Act. No public interest has been identified that would be sufficient to outweigh the
reasons for withholding that information.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
Yours sincerely,
Cameron Burrows
Chief of Staff
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