Correspondence regarding telecommunications regulatory review

Sam Brown made this Official Information request to Ministry for the Environment

The request was refused by Ministry for the Environment.

From: Sam Brown

Dear Ministry for the Environment,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information regarding the telecommunications regulatory review:

All correspondence, submissions, and representations received from telecommunications companies, industry bodies, and related stakeholders between 1st Jan 2025 and present, including:

- Formal written submissions
- Emails and letters to the Minister, Ministry officials, or ministerial staff
- Records of meetings, briefings, or phone calls with industry representatives
- Any draft policy language or regulatory text proposed by external parties

For each piece of correspondence, please include:

- Date received
- Submitting organisation/individual
- Summary of key requests or positions advocated
- Whether the submitter requested specific regulatory changes, exemptions, or policy positions

Any ministerial briefings analysing stakeholder positions or recommending responses to industry representations

I understand some material may have been proactively released; please exclude documents already publicly available and provide links to those releases instead.
I do not require:

- Personal contact details of individual staff members
- Information subject to legal professional privilege
- Cabinet papers (which I understand are subject to separate processes)

Yours faithfully,

Sam Brown

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From: Sam Brown

Dear Ministry for the Environment,

This request was submitted to MfE in error. Please transfer to the Ministry for Regulation.

Yours faithfully,

Sam Brown

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From: OIA
Ministry for the Environment


Attachment 26 OIAD 00014 Sam Brown Notification of transfer.pdf
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Kia ora Sam,

Please find attached a letter from the Ministry for the Environment regarding your OIA request.

Nāku noa, nā

Ministerial Services
Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao
[email address] | environment.govt.nz

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Sam Brown left an annotation ()

Request transferred to the Ministry for Regulation.

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From: Hello


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Tçnâ koe Sam

 

Our ref: R001385

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request, received
on 15 January 2026. You requested the following:

 

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following
information regarding the telecommunications regulatory review:

 

All correspondence, submissions, and representations received from
telecommunications companies, industry bodies, and related stakeholders
between 1st Jan 2025 and present, including:

 

- Formal written submissions

- Emails and letters to the Minister, Ministry officials, or ministerial
staff

- Records of meetings, briefings, or phone calls with industry
representatives

- Any draft policy language or regulatory text proposed by external
parties

 

For each piece of correspondence, please include:

 

- Date received

- Submitting organisation/individual

- Summary of key requests or positions advocated

- Whether the submitter requested specific regulatory changes, exemptions,
or policy positions

 

Any ministerial briefings analysing stakeholder positions or recommending
responses to industry representations

 

We have identified a large volume of information potentially in scope of
your request (over 1,000 pages). As it currently stands, it will be
difficult to meet your request due to the amount of work that would be
required to research, extract, and collate the information, placing undue
strain on the Ministry for Regulation’s resources.

We are therefore writing to you to seek clarification or refinement of
your request to enable us to respond.

Could you please confirm if you are willing to amend your request, either
by:

 

•            clarifying the specific telecommunications organisations or
individuals for which you are seeking information

•            reducing the period of your request e.g.,

o            to the time that targeted engagement was undertaken regulated
parties, industry and consumer groups, and international regulators, being
9 to 30 June 2025, or

o            to the time that public consultation was undertaken on the
status quo and options for change, being 28 August to 25 September 2025

•            providing more specific details on the information you are
seeking which might reduce the scope and enable us to respond

•            amending the request in another way that you might consider
would enable us to respond.

 

If you are willing to amend your request, please let us know as soon as
possible and no later than 30 January 2026.

 

Please note, any clarification or amendment of a request is considered to
be a new request for the purpose of calculating the maximum statutory
timeframe for response—refer to section 15(1AA) of the

Official Information Act. 

 

 

Ngâ mihi,

 

Ministerial Services, Organisational Enablement  

Ministry for Regulation 

îmçra: [1][email address]

 

[2]A blue and red background with white text Description automatically
generated 

[3]www.regulation.govt.nz 

 

 

 

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From: Sam Brown

Dear Ministry for Regulation,

Thank you for identifying the scope. I'm happy to refine the request to the public consultation period (28 August to 25 September 2025), but I specifically seek to understand industry lobbying during this period, which includes informal correspondence.

Please provide:
1. All substantive correspondence from telecommunications companies and industry bodies, including:
- Formal written submissions
- Emails to Minister, Ministry officials, or ministerial staff containing policy positions, requests for regulatory changes, or advocacy for specific outcomes
- Letters presenting industry positions
- Any draft regulatory text or specific policy language proposed by external parties

2. For each piece of correspondence:
- Date received
- Submitting organisation/individual
- Key positions advocated or regulatory changes requested

3. Ministerial briefings:
- Any briefings analysing stakeholder positions or industry requests from this period
- Communications proposing, advocating for, or opposing regulatory changes
- Requests for exemptions, carve-outs, or special treatment
- Industry positions on policy options under consultation
- Lobbying for or against specific regulatory approaches

Exclusions to reduce scope:
- Meeting scheduling emails
- "Thank you for the meeting" follow-ups with no substantive content
- Out-of-office replies and administrative housekeeping
- Personal contact details of individual staff
- Information already proactively released (provide links instead)

Please confirm whether this refined scope is manageable.

Yours sincerely,

Sam Brown

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From: Hello


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Tēnā koe Sam,

 

Thank you for refining your request. We appreciate that you considered our
suggestion to refine the timeframe for the request to enable us to respond
to the matters you have raised. We will respond to you as soon as
practicable and no later than 24 February 2026. If we are unable to
respond by then, we will notify you of an extension.

 

We are also writing to notify you that part of the information to which
your request relates is more closely related to the functions of the
Minister for Regulation. In these circumstances, we are required by
section 14 of the Official Information Act to transfer that part of your
request, being:

 

1. Emails to Minister, or ministerial staff containing policy positions,
requests for regulatory changes, or advocacy for specific outcomes

- Letters presenting industry positions

 

2. For each piece of correspondence:

- Date received

- Submitting organisation/individual

- Key positions advocated or regulatory changes requested

 

The Office of the Minister for Regulation has accepted the partial
transfer and will contact you concerning that part of your request.

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Services, Organisational Enablement  

Ministry for Regulation 

īmēra: [1][email address]

 

[2]A blue and red background with white text Description automatically
generated 

[3]www.regulation.govt.nz 

 

 

 

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From: David Seymour (MIN)


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Attachment image002.jpg
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Dear Sam

 

We have received partial transfer of your Official Information Act request
as follows:

 

1. Emails to Minister, or ministerial staff containing policy positions,
requests for regulatory changes, or advocacy for specific outcomes

- Letters presenting industry positions

 

2. For each piece of correspondence:

- Date received

- Submitting organisation/individual

- Key positions advocated or regulatory changes requested

 

We received your request on Friday 30 January 2026. We will endeavour to
respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than
Monday 2 March 2026, being 20 working days after the day your request was
received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

 

Kind regards

 

 

Office of Hon David Seymour

[1]A pink and Deputy Prime Minister
white emblem
with two women Minister for Regulation
holding flags Associate Minister of Education | Associate Minister
Description of Finance
automatically
generated Associate Minister of Health | Associate Minister of
Justice

 

7.6 Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings

 

DSOIA678

 

 

From: Hello <[email address]>
Sent: Friday, 30 January 2026 11:15 AM
To: Sam Brown <[FYI request #33423 email]>
Cc: Hello <[email address]>
Subject: RE: R001385 RE: Official Information request - Correspondence
regarding telecommunications regulatory review

 

Tēnā koe Sam,

 

Thank you for refining your request. We appreciate that you considered our
suggestion to refine the timeframe for the request to enable us to respond
to the matters you have raised. We will respond to you as soon as
practicable and no later than 24 February 2026. If we are unable to
respond by then, we will notify you of an extension.

 

We are also writing to notify you that part of the information to which
your request relates is more closely related to the functions of the
Minister for Regulation. In these circumstances, we are required by
section 14 of the Official Information Act to transfer that part of your
request, being:

 

1. Emails to Minister, or ministerial staff containing policy positions,
requests for regulatory changes, or advocacy for specific outcomes

- Letters presenting industry positions

 

2. For each piece of correspondence:

- Date received

- Submitting organisation/individual

- Key positions advocated or regulatory changes requested

 

The Office of the Minister for Regulation has accepted the partial
transfer and will contact you concerning that part of your request.

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Services, Organisational Enablement  

Ministry for Regulation 

īmēra: [2][email address]

 

[3]A blue and red background with white text Description automatically
generated 

[4]www.regulation.govt.nz 

 

 

 

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From: David Seymour (MIN)


Attachment image002.jpg
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Attachment image003.jpg
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Attachment DSOIA678 Sam Brown.pdf
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Dear Sam

 

Please find attached response to your information request which was
transferred to our office in part on 30 January 2026.

 

Kind regards

 

 

Office of Hon David Seymour

[1]A pink and Deputy Prime Minister
white emblem
with two women Minister for Regulation
holding flags Associate Minister of Education | Associate Minister
Description of Finance
automatically
generated Associate Minister of Health | Associate Minister of
Justice

 

7.6 Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings

 

DSOIA678

 

 

From: David Seymour (MIN)
Sent: Tuesday, 3 February 2026 5:13 PM
To: '[FOI #33423 email]'
<[FOI #33423 email]>
Subject: Ack of your Partial Official Information request - Correspondence
regarding telecommunications regulatory review

 

Dear Sam

 

We have received partial transfer of your Official Information Act request
as follows:

 

1. Emails to Minister, or ministerial staff containing policy positions,
requests for regulatory changes, or advocacy for specific outcomes

- Letters presenting industry positions

 

2. For each piece of correspondence:

- Date received

- Submitting organisation/individual

- Key positions advocated or regulatory changes requested

 

We received your request on Friday 30 January 2026. We will endeavour to
respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than
Monday 2 March 2026, being 20 working days after the day your request was
received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

 

Kind regards

 

 

Office of Hon David Seymour

[2]A pink and Deputy Prime Minister
white emblem
with two women Minister for Regulation
holding flags Associate Minister of Education | Associate Minister
Description of Finance
automatically
generated Associate Minister of Health | Associate Minister of
Justice

 

7.6 Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings

 

DSOIA678

 

 

From: Hello <[3][email address]>
Sent: Friday, 30 January 2026 11:15 AM
To: Sam Brown <[4][FOI #33423 email]>
Cc: Hello <[5][email address]>
Subject: RE: R001385 RE: Official Information request - Correspondence
regarding telecommunications regulatory review

 

Tēnā koe Sam,

 

Thank you for refining your request. We appreciate that you considered our
suggestion to refine the timeframe for the request to enable us to respond
to the matters you have raised. We will respond to you as soon as
practicable and no later than 24 February 2026. If we are unable to
respond by then, we will notify you of an extension.

 

We are also writing to notify you that part of the information to which
your request relates is more closely related to the functions of the
Minister for Regulation. In these circumstances, we are required by
section 14 of the Official Information Act to transfer that part of your
request, being:

 

1. Emails to Minister, or ministerial staff containing policy positions,
requests for regulatory changes, or advocacy for specific outcomes

- Letters presenting industry positions

 

2. For each piece of correspondence:

- Date received

- Submitting organisation/individual

- Key positions advocated or regulatory changes requested

 

The Office of the Minister for Regulation has accepted the partial
transfer and will contact you concerning that part of your request.

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Services, Organisational Enablement  

Ministry for Regulation 

īmēra: [6][email address]

 

[7]A blue and red background with white text Description automatically
generated 

[8]www.regulation.govt.nz 

 

 

 

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