Definitions of “Safe” and “Effective” in Public Health Communications
Nigel Gray made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health
The request was successful.
From: Nigel Gray
Dear Ministry of Health,
Official Information Request – Definitions of “Safe” and “Effective” in Public Health Communications
I note that the Department of Conservation uses the phrase “safe and effective” in its public‑facing material describing sodium fluoroacetate (1080).
To understand how these terms are used across government agencies, I request the following information from the Ministry of Health:
1. Definitions and criteria
Please provide the Ministry of Health’s definitions, criteria, or internal guidance for the use of the terms:
“safe”
“effective”
“safe and effective”
in public‑facing health communications.
2. Application to vaccines
Please provide any documents, guidance, or communication frameworks that informed the Ministry’s use of these terms in relation to COVID‑19 vaccines.
3. Consistency of terminology
Please provide any documents, emails, or internal discussions held by the Ministry that address whether the Ministry’s definitions or criteria for “safe” and “effective” differ from, or align with, the usage of these terms by other government agencies (including DOC), in relation to hazardous substances such as 1080.
If the Ministry holds no such information, please confirm this explicitly.
I am happy to receive the information electronically.
Yours faithfully,
Nigel Gray
From: OIA Requests
Kia ora Nigel,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora on 26 March 2026.
You requested:
"I note that the Department of Conservation uses the phrase “safe and
effective” in its public‑facing material describing sodium fluoroacetate
(1080).
To understand how these terms are used across government agencies, I
request the following information from the Ministry of Health:
1. Definitions and criteria
Please provide the Ministry of Health’s definitions, criteria, or internal
guidance for the use of the terms:
“safe”
“effective”
“safe and effective”
in public‑facing health communications.
2. Application to vaccines
Please provide any documents, guidance, or communication frameworks that
informed the Ministry’s use of these terms in relation to COVID‑19
vaccines.
3. Consistency of terminology
Please provide any documents, emails, or internal discussions held by the
Ministry that address whether the Ministry’s definitions or criteria for
“safe” and “effective” differ from, or align with, the usage of these
terms by other government agencies (including DOC), in relation to
hazardous substances such as 1080."
The reference number for your request is H2026080671. We will endeavour to
respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than
28 April 2026 being 20 working days after the day your request was
received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
If you have any queries regarding your request, please feel free to
contact the OIA Services Team on [1][email address]. If any
additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request,
please do not hesitate to contact us so that these can be taken into
account.
Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [2][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.
Ngā mihi,
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
M[3]inistry of Health information releases
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From: OIA Requests
Tēnā koe Nigel,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) to the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) on 26 March for:
"Official Information Request – Definitions of “Safe” and “Effective” in
Public Health Communications
I note that the Department of Conservation uses the phrase “safe and
effective” in its public‑facing material describing sodium fluoroacetate
(1080).
To understand how these terms are used across government agencies, I
request the following information from the Ministry of Health:
1. Definitions and criteria
Please provide the Ministry of Health’s definitions, criteria, or internal
guidance for the use of the terms:
“safe”
“effective”
“safe and effective”
in public‑facing health communications.
2. Application to vaccines
Please provide any documents, guidance, or communication frameworks that
informed the Ministry’s use of these terms in relation to COVID‑19
vaccines.
3. Consistency of terminology
Please provide any documents, emails, or internal discussions held by the
Ministry that address whether the Ministry’s definitions or criteria for
“safe” and “effective” differ from, or align with, the usage of these
terms by other government agencies (including DOC), in relation to
hazardous substances such as 1080."
Your request asks for information which is more closely connected with the
functions of Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora. For this reason, the
Ministry has decided to transfer your request under section 14(b)(ii) of
the Act. You can expect a response from Health New Zealand in due
course. Their contact email is: [1][email address].
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [2][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.
Ngā mihi,
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
****************************************************************************
Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
****************************************************************************
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]
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From: hnzOIA
Tçnâ koe,
Thank you for your email.
Under the Official Information Act (OIA), agencies are required to respond
to requests for official information as soon as reasonably practicable and
no later than 20 working days after receiving them.
If your request is for data that Health NZ holds, have you checked
[1]Lighthouse first to see if the data you are seeking is already
published?
Lighthouse is a searchable catalogue that makes a range of data and
analytics products available to New Zealanders to enable easier, faster
access to insights about health services.
You can find further information about how OIA timeframes are calculated,
including the Ombudsman’s OIA calculator, at the link below:
[2]Official information calculators | Ombudsman New Zealand
We will provide a response to your request in line with the statutory
timeframes set out in the OIA.
We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time.
Ngâ mihi,
Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora
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References
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https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/agen...
From: hnzOIA
Kia ora Nigel,
Thank you for your request for information regarding definitions of “safe”
and “effective” on 8 April 2026. Please find attached our response to your
request.
If you have any questions, please get in touch at
[1][email address]
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Ngâ mihi,
Stephanie
Government Services (OIA)
[3][email address]
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
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disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have
received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
delete this message
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