IR-01-26-13229
23 April 2026
A Goodwin
[FYI request #34489 email]
Dear A Goodwin
Request for information
I refer to your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 14 April 2026, for the
following:
In OIA response IR 01 25 43646 dated 3 Mar 2026, it is noted:
"On 18 July 2022 and 10 August 2022, Police wrote to NZLSOS in relation to the
information requested under paragraph (j) above – namely, ‘correspondence with
coroner’s office in regard to deaths connected with the vaccine’."
Please provide copies of Police’s letters dated 18 Jul 2022 and 10 Aug 2022.
Please find copies of the requested letters attached.
Yours sincerely
Bill Peoples
Chief Legal Advisor
New Zealand Police
18 July 2022
NZLSOS
By email:
[email address]
Dear NZLSOS
Official Information Act request of 22 April 2022 – Correction to Police’s reply of 20 May 2022
Police refers to your request 22 April 2022 concerning Covid-19 and related information.
At paragraph (j) you requested the following information:
“all external and internal correspondence, information and data held by the police, including
the Police Commissioner, to and from the coroner’s office in regard to the `adverse
reactions’, ‘deaths’ and `incidents’ connected with the vaccine (temporal or otherwise)”
In its reply to you of 20 May 2022, Police referred to media coverage of incidents involving the
deaths of three people in New Zealand reportedly linking these with the Covid-19 vaccine. Police
further advised that these incidents were not matters reported by Police to the Coroner, and your
request was refused on the basis that Police held no information within the scope of your request.
Following that reply, information received from the coroner’s office regarding these matters has
indicated that in fact, there are three Police sudden death files that have been reported by Police to
the Coroner. Information is therefore held by Police regarding the three sudden deaths.
I have requested that the three files are collated by Police National Headquarters, and that an
assessment is made regarding your information request. I will provide a further response to your
request once that assessment has been made.
Yours faithfully
Bill Peoples
Director
Police Legal Services
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand. Telephone: 04 474 9499.
www.police.govt.nz
10 August 2022
NZLSOS
By email:
[email address]
Dear NZLSOS
Official Information Act request of 22 April 2022 – Correction to Police’s reply of 20 May 2022
In my letter of 18 July 2022, I advised that there were three sudden death files that had been
reported by Police to the Coroner, which were considered relevant to your request for information
of 22 April 2022. I advised that once the information had been collated, I would provide a further
response to your information request.
Police are under a statutory duty to assist coronial investigations and to carry out all investigations
directed by the coroner. Police act as an agent for the coroner and information relating to coronial
inquests is held on behalf of the Coroner. Police has consulted with the coroner in relation to your
request for information, and the coroner has responded, giving a direction to Police that no
correspondence, information, or data to/from the Coroners’ Office relating to current coronial
inquiries should be disclosed by Police in relation to this request.
Two of the files that relate to your information request are still before the coroner. Based on the
direction from the coroner, Police relies on section 6(c) of the Official Information Act to withhold
the information, to avoid a prejudice to the maintenance of the law.
Information relating to closed coronial inquiries, including the third matter within the scope of your
request, is held by the Ministry of Justice. The Official Information Act provides for the transfer of a
request for information where the information is held by another department. Please advise
whether you wish Police to transfer your request or whether you wish to make a further information
request directly to the Ministry of Justice by emailin
g [email address].
You have a right, by way of complaint under section 28(3) to an Ombudsman, to seek an
investigation and review of Police’s refusal to release information in response to your request.
Yours faithfully
Bill Peoples
Director, Legal Services
Police National Headquarters
180 Molesworth Street
WELLINGTON 6035
