Request for internal DPMC and PMO administrative records, triage directives, and policy advice regarding the October 30, 2023, email sent by Barry Young
Robert Perham made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
This request has an unknown status. We're waiting for Robert Perham to read recent responses and update the status.
From: Robert Perham
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Tēnā koe,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I am requesting information regarding the internal administrative handling, triage, and policy advice generated by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) and/or the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in relation to an email sent by former Te Whatu Ora employee Barry Young on or around October 30, 2023.
I am aware that previous requests regarding this matter were refused under Section 2 of the Act, on the grounds that Members of Parliament are excluded from the definition of a department or Minister. To be absolutely clear: I am not requesting the correspondence sent to, or held by, Members of Parliament in their capacity as MPs. Instead, I am requesting the internal departmental records held by the DPMC or PMO about this event. Specifically, between the dates of October 30, 2023, and December 4, 2023, I request:
1. Any internal DPMC or PMO emails, memos, briefing notes, or triage directives discussing the existence of Barry Young’s October 30th email, the data he claimed to possess, or the "safety signals" he alleged.
2. Any communications between the DPMC/PMO and Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand), the Ministry of Health, or the New Zealand Police regarding how to respond to, investigate, or manage the claims made by Barry Young in his October 30th email.
3. Any advisory documents, talking points, or directives prepared by the DPMC or PMO for any Minister of the Crown instructing them on how to handle, filter, or respond to Barry Young’s correspondence.
If any part of this request is refused or withheld, I expect you to state the specific section of the OIA that applies to each withholding and your reasons for utilizing it, as required by the Act.
If you require any clarification regarding the scope of this request to prevent administrative delays, please contact me immediately.
Ngā mihi,
Yours faithfully,
Robert Perham
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for emailing the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
(DPMC). This is an automatic reply to let you know that your message has
been received.
DPMC cannot respond to emails that are outside its scope. If the subject
of your email does not relate to the work of DPMC, we may forward your
email to the appropriate Minister or agency who will respond to you
directly. To find out more about DPMC's functions please view our
website [1]https://dpmc.govt.nz.
If your correspondence is intended for the Prime Minister please email his
office at [email address]. Contact information for
other Members of Parliament can be found at
[2]https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involve....
Common questions:
Official Information Act (OIA) requests will be formally acknowledged
during office hours and actioned accordingly. For more information about
the statutory OIA timeframes please see
[3]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.
For job opportunities within DPMC see
[4]https://centralagenciesjobs.cass.govt.nz... use this
website to apply for vacancies. Resumes received through other avenues
will not be considered.
New Zealand visas and requests for asylum are managed by Immigration New
Zealand. Please see [5]https://www.immigration.govt.nz/.
We hope one of the above links helps answer your question.
Kind regards,
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Link: [6]File-List
Link: [7]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [8]themeData
Link: [9]colorSchemeMapping
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
Kia ora,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)
received on 11 March 2026, copied below. We will respond to your request
within the statutory timeframes set out in the Act. If we are unable to
meet these timeframes we will notify you.
Your request will be managed by the Ministerial Services team within DPMC.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at
[1][DPMC request email].
DPMC may publish the response to your OIA request. If we publish the
response your personal information, including your name and contact
details, will be removed.
Ngā mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Corporate
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [2][DPMC request email]
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora,
Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.
Ngā mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [1][DPMC request email]
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
Link: [2]File-List
Link: [3]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [4]themeData
Link: [5]colorSchemeMapping
show quoted sections
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
3. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
4. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
5. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
7. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
8. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
9. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
From: MaSS info
Kia ora Robert,
Thank you for your request made under the Official Information Act which
was partially transferred to the Department of Internal Affairs (the
Department) on 24 March 2026.
The Department will provide its response to your request as soon as
practicable and within twenty working days. The due date for your request
is 23 April 2026. We will contact you if we require clarification of your
request, more time to respond, or if your request has been transferred to
another organisation to respond to.
Please note that in cases where the Department’s response provides
information that is identified to be of general public interest, the
response may also be published on the Department of Internal Affairs
website. If the Department publishes its response to your OIA request, all
personal information, including your name and contact details, will be
removed.
Ngâ mihi
Branch Performance
Partnerships and Commissions | Te Aukaha
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
[1]www.dia.govt.nz
[2]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua
References
Visible links
1. http://www.dia.govt.nz/
From: MaSS info
Kia ora Robert,
Please find the attached response to your Official Information Act request
from the Department of Internal Affairs.
Ngâ mihi
Branch Performance
Partnerships and Commissions | Te Aukaha
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
[1]www.dia.govt.nz
[2]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua
From: MaSS info <[email address]>
Sent: 25 March 2026 11:31
To: [FOI #34031 email]
Subject: Acknowledgement of OIA request - our reference OIA 2526-1017
Kia ora Robert,
Thank you for your request made under the Official Information Act which
was partially transferred to the Department of Internal Affairs (the
Department) on 24 March 2026.
The Department will provide its response to your request as soon as
practicable and within twenty working days. The due date for your request
is 23 April 2026. We will contact you if we require clarification of your
request, more time to respond, or if your request has been transferred to
another organisation to respond to.
Please note that in cases where the Department’s response provides
information that is identified to be of general public interest, the
response may also be published on the Department of Internal Affairs
website. If the Department publishes its response to your OIA request, all
personal information, including your name and contact details, will be
removed.
Ngâ mihi
Branch Performance
Partnerships and Commissions | Te Aukaha
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
[3]www.dia.govt.nz
[4]Logo: Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua
References
Visible links
1. http://www.dia.govt.nz/
3. http://www.dia.govt.nz/
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).
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