Official Information Act 1982 request — communications regarding social media amplification of India FTA messaging
Joshua Riley made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Response to this request is delayed. By law, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet should normally have responded promptly and by (details and exceptions)
From: Joshua Riley
I am making this request under the Official Information Act 1982.
I request the following information held by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, covering the period 1 January 2025 to the date of this request:
1. All communications (including emails, text messages, WhatsApp / Signal / other messaging app correspondence, letters, briefings, file notes, meeting minutes, and diary entries) between staff of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and any of the following parties, where the subject matter relates to the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement or to the promotion, amplification, or social media coverage of statements by the Prime Minister or the Minister for Trade and Investment regarding India or the FTA:
a. Social media influencers, content creators, or operators of social media accounts (including but not limited to accounts on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and WhatsApp);
b. Public relations, communications, marketing, or digital strategy firms or consultants;
c. Media organisations, journalists, or media-buying agencies based in India or primarily serving Indian audiences;
d. Diaspora organisations, community groups, or business councils with a focus on India–New Zealand relations;
e. Officials, agencies, or representatives of the Government of India (including the Indian High Commission to New Zealand, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry) where those communications relate to social media activity, content sharing, or coordinated promotion;
f. Any third party engaged or paid (whether by [agency], by another government agency, or by a contracted intermediary) to promote, amplify, share, retweet, like, or otherwise increase the reach of social media content concerning the India FTA.
2. Any contracts, statements of work, purchase orders, invoices, or financial records relating to the engagement of any party for the purpose of social media amplification, influencer marketing, audience targeting, or coordinated promotion of messaging concerning the India FTA, including any spend on paid amplification on X/Twitter or other platforms.
3. Any internal strategy documents, communications plans, media plans, or briefings concerning the digital or social media communications strategy for the India FTA, including any analysis, monitoring, or reporting on social media engagement (e.g. retweets, likes, follower analytics) of posts by the Prime Minister or the Minister for Trade and Investment relating to India or the FTA.
4. Any correspondence with platforms (including X Corp / Twitter, Meta, Google) regarding the promotion, boosting, or analytics of posts relating to the India FTA.
For the avoidance of doubt, this request includes communications conducted on personal devices or non-government accounts where they relate to official business, in line with the Ombudsman's guidance on the OIA.
If any part of this request is considered too broad or would require substantial collation under section 18(f), I would appreciate the opportunity to refine the scope rather than have the request refused. Please contact me before invoking that section.
I would prefer to receive the information by email, in its original electronic format where possible.
I note the statutory timeframe of 20 working days under section 15(1) of the Act and look forward to your response.
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Tēnā koe,
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
Kia ora,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)
received on 26 April 2026, copied below. We will respond to your request
within the statutory timeframes set out in the Act. If we are unable to
meet these timeframes, we will notify you.
Your request will be managed by the Ministerial Services team within DPMC.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at
[DPMC request email].
DPMC may publish the response to your OIA request. If we publish the
response, your personal information, including your name and contact
details, will be removed.
Ngâ mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [DPMC request email]
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
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-----Original Message-----
From: Joshua Riley <[FYI request #34547 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 26 April 2026 8:20 pm
To: Information [DPMC] <[DPMC request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Official Information Act 1982
request — communications regarding social media amplification of India FTA
messaging
I am making this request under the Official Information Act 1982.
I request the following information held by the Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet, covering the period 1 January 2025 to the date of
this request:
1. All communications (including emails, text messages, WhatsApp / Signal
/ other messaging app correspondence, letters, briefings, file notes,
meeting minutes, and diary entries) between staff of the Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet and any of the following parties, where the
subject matter relates to the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement or to
the promotion, amplification, or social media coverage of statements by
the Prime Minister or the Minister for Trade and Investment regarding
India or the FTA:
a. Social media influencers, content creators, or operators of social
media accounts (including but not limited to accounts on X/Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and WhatsApp);
b. Public relations, communications, marketing, or digital strategy firms
or consultants;
c. Media organisations, journalists, or media-buying agencies based in
India or primarily serving Indian audiences;
d. Diaspora organisations, community groups, or business councils with a
focus on India–New Zealand relations;
e. Officials, agencies, or representatives of the Government of India
(including the Indian High Commission to New Zealand, the Ministry of
External Affairs, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry) where those
communications relate to social media activity, content sharing, or
coordinated promotion;
f. Any third party engaged or paid (whether by [agency], by another
government agency, or by a contracted intermediary) to promote, amplify,
share, retweet, like, or otherwise increase the reach of social media
content concerning the India FTA.
2. Any contracts, statements of work, purchase orders, invoices, or
financial records relating to the engagement of any party for the purpose
of social media amplification, influencer marketing, audience targeting,
or coordinated promotion of messaging concerning the India FTA, including
any spend on paid amplification on X/Twitter or other platforms.
3. Any internal strategy documents, communications plans, media plans, or
briefings concerning the digital or social media communications strategy
for the India FTA, including any analysis, monitoring, or reporting on
social media engagement (e.g. retweets, likes, follower analytics) of
posts by the Prime Minister or the Minister for Trade and Investment
relating to India or the FTA.
4. Any correspondence with platforms (including X Corp / Twitter, Meta,
Google) regarding the promotion, boosting, or analytics of posts relating
to the India FTA.
For the avoidance of doubt, this request includes communications conducted
on personal devices or non-government accounts where they relate to
official business, in line with the Ombudsman's guidance on the OIA.
If any part of this request is considered too broad or would require
substantial collation under section 18(f), I would appreciate the
opportunity to refine the scope rather than have the request refused.
Please contact me before invoking that section.
I would prefer to receive the information by email, in its original
electronic format where possible.
I note the statutory timeframe of 20 working days under section 15(1) of
the Act and look forward to your response.
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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FYI request #34547 email]
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contact us using this form:
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ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
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Link: [3]File-List
Link: [4]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [5]themeData
Link: [6]colorSchemeMapping
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
Link: [7]File-List
Link: [8]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [9]themeData
Link: [10]colorSchemeMapping
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
References
Visible links
1. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
2. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
3. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
4. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
5. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
7. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
8. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
9. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
10. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora,
Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.
Ngā mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Corporate
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [1][DPMC request email]
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
Link: [2]File-List
Link: [3]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [4]themeData
Link: [5]colorSchemeMapping
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
Link: [6]File-List
Link: [7]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [8]themeData
Link: [9]colorSchemeMapping
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
3. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
4. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
5. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
7. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
8. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
9. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
hide quoted sections
From: Joshua Riley
Thank you for the response of 21 May 2026 from Alan Cassidy regarding my request. I have some questions and concerns, which I would appreciate DPMC addressing promptly.
Part 1 - communications
The response states that information in scope of part 1 is "more closely connected to the functions of the Prime Minister" and refers me to the Prime Minister's forthcoming response.
However, my request was specifically for communications between staff of DPMC and the listed parties. DPMC is the holder of its own staff's communications - the fact that those communications may relate to the Prime Minister's messaging does not mean DPMC ceases to hold them.
Could you please clarify:
(a) Did DPMC actually search for information responsive to part 1 of my request? If so, was information identified, and on what basis was it not released?
(b) If DPMC holds responsive part 1 information but considers it more closely connected to the PM's functions, was a formal transfer made under section 14 of the Act? I note the response refers me informally to the PM's "forthcoming response" rather than confirming a transfer was effected. An informal referral is not a transfer under the Act and does not relieve DPMC of its obligation to respond to this part of the request.
(c) If DPMC searched and found no part 1 information, please confirm that explicitly by way of a refusal under section 18(e), as was done for parts 2–4.
Parts 2–4 - scope of search
The response states that DPMC "carried out a search of its electronic databases" and found no information in scope. I would appreciate clarification of what was searched. Specifically:
(a) Did the search cover contract and procurement management systems, financial systems (for purchase orders and invoices), and shared/network drives — or was it limited to email?
(b) Was any enquiry made regarding records held on personal devices or non-government messaging accounts (e.g. WhatsApp, Signal, personal email) used for official business? My original request expressly included such records, consistent with the Ombudsman's guidance on the scope of the Act. The response does not address this point.
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).
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