02 February 2026
Erika Whittome
[FYI request #33254 email]
Tēnā koe Erika
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ0010602
Thank you for your email on 14 December 2025, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for
the following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA) regarding template letters to stand
down and terminate workers, and rebut Voices For Freedom (VFF) letters:
A response to an official information act request revealed there 357 nurses, 26 doctors and
64 midwives who left as a result of the New Zealand government’s vaccination order up to
March 2022 .
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffyi.org.nz%2Freques
t%2F18233%2Fresponse%2F72150%2Fattach%2F5%2FOIA%2520Response%2520to%2
520Chuck%2520Spooner%25201.4.22%2520Vaccination%2520Mandate.pdf&data=05%7
C02%7Csm_HNZOIA%40tewhatuora.govt.nz%7C8ae3ed3b79b7408412af08de3a751d8a
%7Cbed4da513cdb4d0dbaf8fb80d53268e3%7C0%7C0%7C639012472003888817%7CUn
known%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJ
XaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fK1cZD
UCXxhBzOgKWis97ga8VNVWFLtgfVV0m15sRBA%3D&reserved=0
Many more were terminated after requirements for boosters in March 2022.
The following Microsoft word documents were used as template letters for unvaccinated
DHB workers eg to stop them working from 15 November 2021 and terminate their
employment:
Medical Exemption .docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Jack Rainbow
last saved by Jack Rainbow
Content created 28/10/2021 11:49am
Last printed 21/10/2021 1:56pm
Stand down letter template (1).docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Jack Rainbow
Last saved by Simon Hughes
Content created 10/11/2021 11:53am
Date last saved 10/11/2021 11:53am
Last printed 21/10/2021 1:56pm
Stand down letter template.docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Jack Rainbow
Last saved by Jack Rainbow
Content created 21/10/2021 10:22am
Date last saved 28/10/2021 10:48am
Last printed 21/10/2021 1:56pm
Total editing time 04:05:00
Vaccination Mandate - Follow-up meeting Nov 2021.docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Bernie McKeany
Last saved by Simon Hughes
Company Waikato DHB
Content created 9/11/2021 5:20pm
Termination Letter.docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Jack Rainbow
Last saved by Jack Rainbow
Content created 21/10/2021 10:22am
Date last saved 28/10/2021 10:48am
Last printed 22/10/2021 1:43pm
Total editing time 07:05:00
There is also an "Implementation process letter" containing steps for the DHBs to follow for
unvaccinated workers and their employment termination.
Implementation Process Letter.docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Chloe Luscombe
Last saved by Rory Barton
Content created 28/10/2021 12:10pm
1. Would you please share the minutes of the decision to engage Dundas Street Law and
other law firms to write all these letters/documents?
2. Would you please share the brief / work order request for these letters to be drafted?
3. Would you please share the cost to the DHB to these law firms to write all these letters
which stood down health workers on 15 November 2021 and then terminate unvaccinated
health workers?
4. Would you please share the cost to the DHB to these law firms to write the letters to
rebut these two Voices for Freedom letter sent by unvaccinated health workers?
Template DHB Response to Voices for Freedom letters.docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Megan Vant
Last saved by DundasSt
Content created 20/10/2021 09:02am
Date last saved 20/10/2021 4:20am
Last printed 20/10/2021 12:22pm
Total editing time 03:11:00
Template DS Blank (with quick keys) 0616.dotx
Voices for Freedom Letter - Vaccination mandated.docx
--------------------------------------------------
Authors Mary Byrne
Last saved by Leighton
Content created 9/10/2021 6:03pm
Response
1. Would you please share the minutes of the decision to engage Dundas Street Law and
other law firms to write all these letters/documents?
2. Would you please share the brief / work order request for these letters to be drafted?
We are refusing a response to the above two questions under section 18(e) of the OIA as the
information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
3. Would you please share the cost to the DHB to these law firms to write all these letters
which stood down health workers on 15 November 2021 and then terminate unvaccinated
health workers?
4. Would you please share the cost to the DHB to these law firms to write the letters to rebut
these two Voices for Freedom letter sent by unvaccinated health workers?
To provide the information requested would take a substantial amount of manual time and
resource searching through invoices to identify the law firms referred to and the work they were
invoicing us for. We would then need to manually separate out the costs in order to respond to
your request.
Health NZ would need to divert personnel from their core duties and allocate extra time to complete
this task. The diversion of these resources would impair Health New Zealand’s ability to carry out
our other core functions. As such, your request is refused under section 18(f) of the Act.
I have considered whether fixing a charge for the supply of the information or extending the
timeframe for response would enable Health New Zealand to respond. I do not consider that either
option would remove the impact that supplying the information would have on our other operations.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIA) Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
