13 May 2026
Stephanie Mudgeway
via fyi.org.nz
Tēnā koe Stephanie
Official Information Act 1982 request
Thank you for your message, dated 15 April 2026. You have requested, under the Official
Information Act 1982 (
OIA):
1. ‘All correspondence (including emails, letters, text messages, and records of phone calls or
meetings) between the BSA and the following parties, from 1 January 2024 to the date this
request is received, on any subject relating to The Platform, Sean Plunket, the BSA's
jurisdiction over online broadcasters, or the future or abolition of the BSA:
a. The office of the Minister of Media and Communications;
b. The Prime Minister's office;
c. Any New Zealand First or Act party representative, staff member, or associate;
d. Sean Plunket, or any employee, representative, funder, investor, or associate of The
Platform;
e. Any lobbyist, lawyer, or third party acting on behalf of The Platform or its backers.
2. Any communications received by the BSA that could be construed as threatening, warning of,
or advocating for the abolition or reform of the BSA in connection with its jurisdiction decision
over The Platform.
3. Any internal BSA records — including board minutes, staff emails, briefing notes, or
memoranda — discussing:
a. Political reaction to the jurisdiction decision over The Platform;
b. The possibility that the jurisdiction decision could trigger legislative or ministerial
action against the BSA;
c. Any anticipated or actual pressure from Ministers, coalition parties, or The Platform
and its associates to reverse, reconsider, or narrow the jurisdiction decision.
4. Any legal advice obtained by the BSA regarding its vulnerability to legislative abolition or
mandate reduction following the jurisdiction decision.
5. Any records identifying the funders, investors, or financial backers of The Platform, where
these were known to or held by the BSA in connection with the complaint or jurisdiction
decision.’
Extension of deadline for response
The statutory deadline for responding to your OIA request is tomorrow, 14 May 2026. This
letter is to let you know the deadline is being extended under ss 15A(1)(a) and (b) of the
OIA, on the basis:
(a) the request is for a large quantity of official information or necessitates a search
through a large quantity of information and meeting the original time limit would
unreasonably interfere with the operations of the department or the venture or the
Minister of the Crown or the organisation; and
(b) consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that a proper
response to the request cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.
We are a small team managing a higher than average number of OIA requests. We do not
have dedicated staff for handling OIA requests, so these are handled by staff alongside their
usual workload. While we are generally able to respond to OIA requests well within initial
deadlines, from time to time we need to request extensions so this work does not interfere
with the rest of the organisation’s responsibilities.
We will provide our response within a further 20 working days – being
12 June 2026, or
earlier if possible.
Right to refer to Ombudsman
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this extension.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or by calling 0800 802 602.
If you would like to discuss this matter with us, you can contact me or our Acting Legal
Manager, Samantha Kennedy.
Yours sincerely
Stacey Wood
Chief Executive
Document Outline
