31 March 2026
Mohammed Khan
FYI.org.nz
[FYI request #34194 email]
Ref: PMO OIA 756-2025-26
Dear Mohammed,
Official Information Act request: Prime Minister's diary
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 23 March
2026. You requested:
“According to Miriam Bell of the Australia Israel Review, after the event at Bondi Beach
on 14 December last year, "Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Jewish
community leaders privately the day after the attack, and then attended a vigil in
Auckland". https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://1.org.nz/the-aftermath-of-bondi-in-new-
zealand/__;!!Asq5-8xVch3Reg!q_3-RNt53kGoDt0-cDlDY-
_dsH4Xo9lGerPxJ_sTFWz_KoI8pFplQBWA90Az2UAm3Hh8nCKoN49Vb9rk36SaoPqj
ZVTvrcCeoP95qLqNT9la$
Luxon's diary release for December 2025 does not record this "[private meeting] with
Jewish community leaders", only "REMARKS: Memorial Service for Bondi Attack and
Chanukah Lighting", which one assumes references the "vigil".
1) Why was the secret meeting excluded from the ministerial diary?
2) From taking office as Prime Minister on 27 November 2023 through to the end of
February 2026 (the last diary released), how many other private meetings has Luxon
held with Jewish community leader(s)/Israel lobbyists which were excluded from the
public release of ministerial diaries as this one was?”
On 15 December 2025 the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, travelled to
Auckland for the purpose of attending the memorial service for the victims of the Bondi
Attack and the lighting of the Chanukah. As is often the case when the Prime Minister
goes to an event, he was approached by other attendees of the memorial who wanted to
talk further with him.
This impromptu meeting with Jewish community leaders was not conducted in secret. It
had not been scheduled in advance and therefore it was not reflected in the Prime
Minister’s Ministerial Diary. This is in keeping with the disclaimer that accompanies the
proactive release of the Ministerial Diary on the Beehive website, parts of which I have
included below:
‘The information provided is for general informational purposes only. While we try to
keep the information up-to-date and correct, there are no guarantees, express or
implied, about the completeness, accuracy or reliability of this information. It may
include meetings which were in the diary but did not eventuate or were placeholders
and may not include unscheduled meetings.’
The Prime Minister’s other meetings since taking office on 27 November 2023 are publicly
available on the Beehive website:
Ministerial Diary | Beehive.govt.nz
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
Yours sincerely,
Cameron Burrows
Chief of Staff
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