Email Metadata
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to New Zealand Defence Force
Response to this request is long overdue. By law New Zealand Defence Force should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear New Zealand Defence Force, Veterans Affairs (VANZ),
Official Information Act Request
I request email metadata relating to communications concerning the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB).
Specifically, I request the following information for emails sent or received by Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand staff, the Secretariat of Veterans’ Boards, or relevant NZDF policy teams:
1. Email subject lines.
2. Sender and recipient fields (To/From only).
3. Date and time of the email.
4. The mailbox or organisational unit associated with the email.
This request relates only to emails referencing:
• "Veterans’ Advisory Board"
• "VAB"
• "VAB advice"
• "Veterans Advisory Board recommendation"
Timeframe: 1 January 2014 to present.
For clarity, I am not requesting the content of emails at this stage—only the metadata fields listed above.
Providing metadata only should significantly reduce the scope of collation.
If the information is held in an email archive or records management system, a simple export of the relevant metadata fields would satisfy this request.
If any part of this request is considered likely to be refused under section 18(f), I am willing to discuss refining the scope.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Defence Force
Good morning Spencer
Your request below has been received and a decision on your request will be provided as soon as possible and no later than Thursday 16 April 2026. Responses to requests for information that are considered to be in the wider public interest will be published on the New Zealand Defence Force website (www.nzdf.mil.nz).
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force | Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa
www.nzdf.mil.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #34117 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 17 March 2026 10:05 am
To: Ministerial Services <[NZDF request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Email Metadata
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization.
Do not follow guidance, click links, or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If in any doubt, please forward the email to [email address] and then delete the email from your Inbox. Thank you
Dear New Zealand Defence Force, Veterans Affairs (VANZ),
Official Information Act Request
I request email metadata relating to communications concerning the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB).
Specifically, I request the following information for emails sent or received by Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand staff, the Secretariat of Veterans’ Boards, or relevant NZDF policy teams:
1. Email subject lines.
2. Sender and recipient fields (To/From only).
3. Date and time of the email.
4. The mailbox or organisational unit associated with the email.
This request relates only to emails referencing:
• "Veterans’ Advisory Board"
• "VAB"
• "VAB advice"
• "Veterans Advisory Board recommendation"
Timeframe: 1 January 2014 to present.
For clarity, I am not requesting the content of emails at this stage—only the metadata fields listed above.
Providing metadata only should significantly reduce the scope of collation.
If the information is held in an email archive or records management system, a simple export of the relevant metadata fields would satisfy this request.
If any part of this request is considered likely to be refused under section 18(f), I am willing to discuss refining the scope.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #34117 email]
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The information contained in this Internet Email message is intended
for the addressee only and may contain privileged information, but not
necessarily the official views or opinions of the New Zealand Defence Force.
If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or
distribute this message or the information in it.
If you have received this message in error, please Email or telephone
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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Defence Force
Good morning Spencer Jones
Please find attached the response to your request for information.
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
www.nzdf.mil.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #34117 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 17 March 2026 10:05 am
To: Ministerial Services <[NZDF request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Email Metadata
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization.
Do not follow guidance, click links, or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If in any doubt, please forward the email to [email address] and then delete the email from your Inbox. Thank you
Dear New Zealand Defence Force, Veterans Affairs (VANZ),
Official Information Act Request
I request email metadata relating to communications concerning the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB).
Specifically, I request the following information for emails sent or received by Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand staff, the Secretariat of Veterans’ Boards, or relevant NZDF policy teams:
1. Email subject lines.
2. Sender and recipient fields (To/From only).
3. Date and time of the email.
4. The mailbox or organisational unit associated with the email.
This request relates only to emails referencing:
• "Veterans’ Advisory Board"
• "VAB"
• "VAB advice"
• "Veterans Advisory Board recommendation"
Timeframe: 1 January 2014 to present.
For clarity, I am not requesting the content of emails at this stage—only the metadata fields listed above.
Providing metadata only should significantly reduce the scope of collation.
If the information is held in an email archive or records management system, a simple export of the relevant metadata fields would satisfy this request.
If any part of this request is considered likely to be refused under section 18(f), I am willing to discuss refining the scope.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #34117 email]
Is [NZDF request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to New Zealand Defence Force? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this Internet Email message is intended
for the addressee only and may contain privileged information, but not
necessarily the official views or opinions of the New Zealand Defence Force.
If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or
distribute this message or the information in it.
If you have received this message in error, please Email or telephone
the sender immediately.
hide quoted sections
SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Annotation: Structural Limitation Identified (Metadata Extraction Capability)
This response confirms that:
• NZDF systems are capable of identifying relevant emails (over 12,000 results identified),
• but are not capable of extracting standard metadata fields (subject, sender, recipient, date) without manual review.
This indicates that:
• the information is held and searchable,
• but not structured in a way that enables retrieval in a usable format.
This raises a broader issue regarding:
• the ability of NZDF to generate summary-level information about communications, and
• whether decision-making and advisory processes (such as those involving the Veterans’ Advisory Board) are supported by retrievable records.
The refusal under section 18(f) appears to arise not from absence of information, but from the way information is structured and stored.
This may have implications for:
• record accessibility under the Official Information Act, and
• recordkeeping obligations under the Public Records Act 2005.
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear Ministerial Services, New Zealand Defence Force
Subject: Official Information Act Request – Refined Email Metadata (Veterans’ Advisory Board)
Date: [Insert Date]
I refer to your response (OIA-2026-5716), in which my previous request for email metadata relating to the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB) was refused under section 18(f) on the basis of substantial collation.
I am now refining my request to significantly reduce scope and enable provision of information without substantial collation.
Refined Request
Please provide the following email metadata fields:
- Subject line
- Sender (From)
- Recipient (To)
- Date and time
Scope Limitation (Narrowed Parameters)
This request is limited to:
Option A (Primary Request)
Emails sent or received:
- within a single calendar month: January 2024,
- containing the keyword: “Veterans’ Advisory Board” OR “VAB”,
- restricted to the following organisational units (if applicable):
- Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ)
- Secretariat of Veterans’ Boards
Option B (Fallback – if required)
If Option A remains too broad, please provide:
- metadata for any sample of 50 emails within the above criteria,
- selected using any reasonable method (e.g. first 50 results returned by system search).
Format
If available, I request the information in:
- spreadsheet format (CSV, Excel), or
- any exported format generated by existing systems.
Clarification of Technical Capability
In your previous response, you advised that there is no capability to digitally extract metadata fields.
To assist understanding, please confirm:
1. Whether NZDF email systems (including archives or eDiscovery tools) are capable of exporting:
- subject
- sender
- recipient
- date
2. If such capability exists in any system (even if not centrally available), please identify:
- the system type (e.g. archive, backup, or discovery tool),
- whether it can be used for limited-scope extraction such as this request.
Duty to Assist
If any part of this refined request is still considered likely to be refused under section 18(f), I request assistance under section 13 of the Official Information Act to:
- further refine the scope, or
- identify a form in which the information can be provided.
Additional Note
This request is deliberately limited in scope to avoid substantial collation and enable provision of at least a sample or subset of the requested metadata.
Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Defence Force
Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]Edit-Time-Data
Good morning Spencer,
In the first paragraph of page two of the response to you of 9 April 2026,
it states:
There is no capability to digitally extract the metadata fields requested.
It requires a manual extraction of this information from each email to a
new document. This requires substantial collation and your request is
therefore declined in accordance with section 18(f) of the OIA.
This answers your question below: Whether NZDF email systems (including
archives or eDiscovery tools) are capable of exporting:
- subject
- sender
- recipient
- date
Consideration will be given to other aspects of your request below and a
decision will be provided on or before 14 May 2026.
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
OCDF, Office of Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
[3]www.nzdf.mil.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES
[mailto:[FOI #34117 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 15 April 2026 11:39 a.m.
To: Ministerial Services <[NZDF request email]>
Subject: Re: UNCLASSIFIED: Response to your request for information
OIA-2026-5716
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization.
Do not follow guidance, click links, or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If in any doubt, please
forward the email to [4][email address] and then delete the email from
your Inbox. Thank you
Dear Ministerial Services, New Zealand Defence Force
Subject: Official Information Act Request – Refined Email Metadata
(Veterans’ Advisory Board)
Date: [Insert Date]
I refer to your response (OIA-2026-5716), in which my previous request for
email metadata relating to the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB) was refused
under section 18(f) on the basis of substantial collation.
I am now refining my request to significantly reduce scope and enable
provision of information without substantial collation.
Refined Request
Please provide the following email metadata fields:
- Subject line
- Sender (From)
- Recipient (To)
- Date and time
Scope Limitation (Narrowed Parameters)
This request is limited to:
Option A (Primary Request)
Emails sent or received:
- within a single calendar month: January 2024,
- containing the keyword: “Veterans’ Advisory Board” OR “VAB”,
- restricted to the following organisational units (if applicable):
- Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ)
- Secretariat of Veterans’ Boards
Option B (Fallback – if required)
If Option A remains too broad, please provide:
- metadata for any sample of 50 emails within the above criteria,
- selected using any reasonable method (e.g. first 50 results returned by
system search).
Format
If available, I request the information in:
- spreadsheet format (CSV, Excel), or
- any exported format generated by existing systems.
Clarification of Technical Capability
In your previous response, you advised that there is no capability to
digitally extract metadata fields.
To assist understanding, please confirm:
1. Whether NZDF email systems (including archives or eDiscovery tools) are
capable of exporting:
- subject
- sender
- recipient
- date
2. If such capability exists in any system (even if not centrally
available), please identify:
- the system type (e.g. archive, backup, or discovery tool),
- whether it can be used for limited-scope extraction such as this
request.
Duty to Assist
If any part of this refined request is still considered likely to be
refused under section 18(f), I request assistance under section 13 of the
Official Information Act to:
- further refine the scope, or
- identify a form in which the information can be provided.
Additional Note
This request is deliberately limited in scope to avoid substantial
collation and enable provision of at least a sample or subset of the
requested metadata.
Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
-----Original Message-----
Good morning Spencer Jones
Please find attached the response to your request for information.
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
[5]www.nzdf.mil.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[6][FOI #34117 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this Internet Email message is intended for
the addressee only and may contain privileged information, but not
necessarily the official views or opinions of the New Zealand Defence
Force. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose,
copy or
distribute this message or the information in it. If you have received
this message in error, please Email or telephone the sender immediately.
References
Visible links
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2. file:///tmp/cid:editdata.mso
3. http://www.nzdf.mil.nz
http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/
6. mailto:[FOI #34117 email]
7. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Defence Force
OIA 2026 5716.1 response letter.pdf
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OIA 2026 5716.1 Enclosure.pdf
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Good afternoon Spencer Jones
Please find attached the response to your request for information.
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
www.nzdf.mil.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #34117 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 15 April 2026 11:39 am
To: Ministerial Services <[NZDF request email]>
Subject: Re: UNCLASSIFIED: Response to your request for information OIA-2026-5716
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization.
Do not follow guidance, click links, or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. If in any doubt, please forward the email to [email address] and then delete the email from your Inbox. Thank you
Dear Ministerial Services, New Zealand Defence Force
Subject: Official Information Act Request – Refined Email Metadata (Veterans’ Advisory Board)
Date: [Insert Date]
I refer to your response (OIA-2026-5716), in which my previous request for email metadata relating to the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB) was refused under section 18(f) on the basis of substantial collation.
I am now refining my request to significantly reduce scope and enable provision of information without substantial collation.
Refined Request
Please provide the following email metadata fields:
- Subject line
- Sender (From)
- Recipient (To)
- Date and time
Scope Limitation (Narrowed Parameters)
This request is limited to:
Option A (Primary Request)
Emails sent or received:
- within a single calendar month: January 2024,
- containing the keyword: “Veterans’ Advisory Board” OR “VAB”,
- restricted to the following organisational units (if applicable):
- Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ)
- Secretariat of Veterans’ Boards
Option B (Fallback – if required)
If Option A remains too broad, please provide:
- metadata for any sample of 50 emails within the above criteria,
- selected using any reasonable method (e.g. first 50 results returned by system search).
Format
If available, I request the information in:
- spreadsheet format (CSV, Excel), or
- any exported format generated by existing systems.
Clarification of Technical Capability
In your previous response, you advised that there is no capability to digitally extract metadata fields.
To assist understanding, please confirm:
1. Whether NZDF email systems (including archives or eDiscovery tools) are capable of exporting:
- subject
- sender
- recipient
- date
2. If such capability exists in any system (even if not centrally available), please identify:
- the system type (e.g. archive, backup, or discovery tool),
- whether it can be used for limited-scope extraction such as this request.
Duty to Assist
If any part of this refined request is still considered likely to be refused under section 18(f), I request assistance under section 13 of the Official Information Act to:
- further refine the scope, or
- identify a form in which the information can be provided.
Additional Note
This request is deliberately limited in scope to avoid substantial collation and enable provision of at least a sample or subset of the requested metadata.
Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
-----Original Message-----
Good morning Spencer Jones
Please find attached the response to your request for information.
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
www.nzdf.mil.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #34117 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this Internet Email message is intended
for the addressee only and may contain privileged information, but not
necessarily the official views or opinions of the New Zealand Defence Force.
If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or
distribute this message or the information in it.
If you have received this message in error, please Email or telephone
the sender immediately.
hide quoted sections
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SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Public Annotation – Email Metadata (Veterans’ Advisory Board Advice and Related Communications)
This request sought email metadata (rather than full email content) relating to communications involving Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB) advice and associated policy discussions. The request focuses on identifying the existence, timing, and flow of communications across agencies, without requiring disclosure of substantive email content.
This is a targeted investigative approach designed to reveal communication patterns, decision pathways, and potential gaps in formal record-keeping.
Key observations from the response:
1. Metadata vs Content Distinction
Email metadata typically includes:
• sender and recipient fields
• dates and timestamps
• subject lines
• message identifiers or thread references
This information allows reconstruction of communication networks and timelines without accessing the full content of emails.
Where metadata is unavailable, limited, or difficult to extract, this may indicate:
• system limitations in retrieving structured metadata
• lack of centralised logging or indexing of communications
• or constraints in how searches are conducted
2. Communication Traceability
The response provides insight into whether communications relating to VAB advice can be:
• systematically identified
• traced across individuals or agencies
• reconstructed into a coherent timeline
If identification relies on keyword searches or manual review, this suggests:
• communications are not consistently tagged or categorised
• traceability depends on search assumptions rather than structured data
3. Fragmentation Across Systems
Email communications may be distributed across:
• individual inboxes (Outlook or similar systems)
• shared mailboxes
• archived systems or records management platforms
If the response indicates partial holdings or limitations, this reflects:
• decentralised storage of communication records
• potential variability in retention practices
• difficulty in producing a comprehensive dataset
4. Completeness and Search Limitations
Metadata responses are often constrained by:
• the choice of search terms
• timeframes applied
• identification of relevant custodians (staff members)
If these parameters are not clearly defined, the resulting dataset may:
• exclude relevant communications
• underrepresent the volume or scope of interaction
• reflect only a subset of actual activity
5. Governance Chain Insight
Email metadata represents a critical layer in the advisory-to-decision chain:
• VAB Advice (formal advisory input)
• Email Communications (informal and interagency coordination)
• Ministerial Briefings (formal policy advice)
• Cabinet Papers (executive decision-making)
Where formal documentation lacks traceability, email metadata can provide:
• evidence of discussions not captured in formal records
• timing of key interactions
• identification of decision-making participants
6. Transparency and Accountability Implications
The ability (or inability) to produce email metadata has implications for:
• transparency of internal communication processes
• accountability for how advisory input is discussed and developed
• confidence in the completeness of official records
Where metadata is incomplete or difficult to extract, this may limit external scrutiny.
7. Record-Keeping and System Design
The response provides indirect insight into:
• how email systems integrate (or do not integrate) with formal records management systems
• whether communications are routinely captured into official record systems
• the extent to which informal communications are preserved
This is particularly relevant where key decisions or discussions occur via email but are not formally recorded elsewhere.
8. OIA Strategy Insight
This request demonstrates an advanced investigative technique:
• requesting metadata rather than content to reduce refusal risk
• mapping communication flows across agencies
• identifying key actors and timeframes for further targeted requests
Effective follow-up strategies may include:
• requesting specific email threads once identified via metadata
• targeting named individuals or roles revealed in metadata
• aligning communication timelines with briefing and Cabinet records
9. System-Level Observation
When read alongside related OIA requests concerning:
• VAB advice generation
• ministerial briefing processes
• Cabinet-level consideration
• implementation tracking
this request contributes to a comprehensive mapping of how information moves through government systems.
A consistent pattern may emerge:
• formal records (briefings, Cabinet papers) provide structured outputs
• but underlying communication pathways are less structured and more difficult to trace
Email metadata helps bridge this gap by revealing the informal layer of governance.
This annotation is intended to assist future researchers in understanding the role of communication metadata in reconstructing decision-making processes under the Official Information Act 1982.
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