17 March 2026
Ref: OIA-2025/26-0538
A. Jones
[FYI request #33851 email]
Tēnā koe A Jones
Official Information Act request relating to the CVE redirection method
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, which was received by the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) on 25 February 2026. You requested:
Please provide:
(1) a full and complete list of websites, and individual channels and or persons on
YouTube and other internet platforms, that are subject to the "redirection method"
employed by Moonshot CVE, a private intelligence contractor apparently contracted to
the New Zealand Government that works with a range of platforms and multiple
intelligence and enforcement agencies around the world;
(2) an explanation that describes how channels on YouTube and other media are
chosen, where, and by whom;
(3) any and all correspondence with Moonshot CVE and whoever local y runs "Your
Turn To Talk" and government departs, agencies, or bodies, especially ministerial
correspondence;
(4) statistics on how many referrals have been made since the NZ-based website was
set up;
(5) a full and complete description of what information is being collected on users who
visit YouTube and the offending channels, or channels on other platforms, including
technical details;
(6) a full and complete description of what information is being collected on users who
visit the "Your Turn To Talk" website, including technical details;
(7) confirmation as to when the website "Your Turn To Talk" was set up, went live, and
who in Government authorised it (which departments, which Minister);
(8) confirmation or otherwise as to whether visiting those channels wil cause a user to
come to the attention of the Police, intelligence agencies, or other law enforcement
agencies or government bodies;
(9) how much this "CVE" program costs and who funds it (full list, local and
international);
and
(10) whether any personal interventions have been made as a result of a user of
YouTube or another platform visiting one of the offending channels.
5146395
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
On 11 March 2026 you were advised that parts [3] and [9] of your request were partially
transferred to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) and they wil respond to you directly.
Information publicly available
In relation to parts [1], [2], [4], [5], [6], [8] and [10] of your request, information is publicly
available in Moonshot report which can be found on their website at the following link:
Somewhere Trusted to Turn: New Zealand’s First Online Violence Prevention Programme -
Moonshot. In relation to part [7] of your request, the website
‘Your Turn to Talk’ was not directly set up
or authorised by DPMC, it was set up by a Non-Governmental Organisation called RISE
Living Safe. This is also referenced in the Moonshot report as above. Accordingly, part [7] of
your request is refused under section 18(g) of the Act, as the information is not held by
DPMC and I have no grounds for believing that the information is either held by another
department or Minister of the Crown.
In relation to part [9] of your request, the following link to the PCVE fund page is located on
the DPMC website, which includes information on how much funding Moonshot received:
Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund | Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet (DPMC) and as highlighted above, DIA wil respond with any information they may
hold that is relevant to part [9] of your request.
The parts of your request that have information publicly available are refused under section
18(d) of the Act.
Information to be refused
In relation to part [3] of your request, searches have been completed of three relevant DPMC
staff members and 630 emails have been identified. It is highly likely that there would be
additional emails if all staff that worked across this topic were identified.
To be able to determine whether the 630 emails meet the scope of your request, each email
would need to be manually assessed and therefore, I believe to answer this part of your
request as it is currently framed would involve substantial collation and research.
Accordingly, I am refusing this part of your request under section 18(f) of the Act, that the
information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or research. In
reaching this decision, I first considered the factors contained in sections 18A(1) and 18B of
the Act. However, I did not consider that taking any of these steps of charging you for the
information, extending the time limits or consulting further with you, would allow the request
to be answered.
As highlighted above, DIA wil respond with any information they may hold that is relevant to
part [3] of your request.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
This response wil be published on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s
website during our regular publication cycle. Typically, information is released monthly, or as
otherwise determined.
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Your personal information including name and contact details wil be removed for publication.
Nāku noa, nā
Jeremy Clarke-Watson
Deputy Chief Executive
National Security and Resilience
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