UNCLASSIFIED
New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
195 Lambton Quay
12 March 2026
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
T +64 4 439 8000
F +64 4 472 9596
RC
OIA 30649
[FYI request #33549 email]
Tēnā koe RC
Thank you for your email of 21 January 2026, in which you request the following under
the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
1. What level of communication, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
was involved in, has the current Prime Minister of New Zealand has had with
the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States and
the Secretary of State of the United States since the Prime Minister spoke to
the Secretary of State on October 11th 2024. Please details all levels of
communication whether it be email, video conference calls, phone calls, texts,
written letters or face to face meeting
2. How long each level of communication lasted
3. Copies of the key agendas prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade for the aforementioned communications
4. Copies of meeting minutes, transcript of the interaction or copies of letters or
communications held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
On 17 February 2026, the timeframes for responding to your request were extended by
an additional 20 working days due to the consultations necessary to make a decision on
your request (section 15A(1)(b) of the OIA refers).
Response to your request The following table sets out the advice and reporting prepared by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (the Ministry) for the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, ahead
of his meetings/communications (comms) with US President Trump, Vice President
Vance, and US Secretary of State Rubio.
UNCLASSIFIED
Page 2 of 4
Date of
Rt Hon
Type of
Length of Brief for Comms
Reporting from Comms
Comms
Christopher
Comms
Comms
Luxon Met with
Please refer to
In accordance with
attached meeting brief
section 16(1)(e) of the
(page 1-2 of collated
OIA, please refer to
docs).
Annex One for an
Partially withheld
extract of the in-scope
under the following
portions of the
sections of the OIA:
relevant formal
-
6(a); and
message.
-
6(b)(i).
Partially withheld
under the following
President
Please refer to
sections of the OIA:
30 Oct 2025
In-person ~10
min
Trump
attached meeting brief
-
6(a).
(page 3-7 of collated
docs).
Partially withheld
under the following
sections of the OIA:
-
6(a);
-
9(2)(g)(i);
and
-
9(2)(j).
Briefing for Call: PM’s
President Trump - PM
Call with President-
Luxon Congratulatory
elect Trump
Phone Call dated 12
President
Withheld in full under
November 2024
11 Nov 2024
Phone call
~15 min
Trump
section 6(a) of the
Withheld in full under
OIA.
section 6(a) and
6(b)(i) of the OIA.
Some information in the attached documents is withheld under the following sections of
the OIA:
•
6(a): to avoid prejudicing the security or defence of New Zealand or the
international relations of the New Zealand Government;
•
6(b)(i): to protect the passing of information from another government on a
confidential basis;
•
9(2)(g)(i): to protect the free and frank expression of opinions by departments;
and
•
9(2)(j): to avoid prejudice to negotiations.
Where the information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, no public interest
in releasing the information has been identified that would override the reasons for
withholding it.
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/
Page 3 of 4
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
Sarah Corbett
for Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade
UNCLASSIFIED
Annex One
Extract of “FORMAL MESSAGE: APEC ECONOMIC LEADERS’ WEEK, 29 OCTOBER – 1 NOVEMBER 2025” dated 5
November 2025, provided under section 16(1)(e) of the OIA.
SUMMARY – RĀPOPOTO
•
Prime Minister Luxon had a number of bilateral meetings with other APEC Leaders. This included a first
in-person meeting with President Trump, followed by a dinner where the Prime Minister and President
Trump were hosted by ROK’s President Lee
[OOS].
REPORT – PŪRONGO
The Prime Minister’s programme
3. A late addition to the programme (and necessitating arriving in Gyeongju a day and half earlier than
originally planned), on 29 October the Prime Minister began his programme of bilateral engagements
with a pull-aside meeting with President of the United States, Donald Trump.
[s6(a)], and this translated
into the dinner hosted by ROK’s President Lee which immediately followed in an adjacent room, with
President Trump walking in with the Prime Minister and introducing him to the other guests as “my
friend.” That dinner was hosted by President Lee in honour of President Trump’s visit and involved a
subset of other APEC leaders who had arrived early in ROK for AELW, which was Australia, Canada,
Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. This was a strictly Leaders-only dinner without officials present.
UNCLASSIFIED
