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Official Information Act 1982 request — communications regarding social media amplification of India FTA messaging

Joshua Riley made this Official Information request to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

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From: Joshua Riley

I am making this request under the Official Information Act 1982.

I request the following information held by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, 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 New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 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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From: Ministerials
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Kia ora Joshua,

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 request (the Act) to NZTE, received 28 April 2026 requesting:

I request the following information held by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, 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 New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 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.

In accordance with the Act, NZTE will make a decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and within 20 working days of 28 April 2026. The latest date for a decision on your request is 26 May 2026.

We note your preference to refine the scope of your request should it require substantial collation under section 18(f), and will be in touch shortly regarding potential scope refinement and clarification.

Ngâ mihi,
Grace

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From: Ministerials
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Dear Joshua,

Thank you for your email received 28 April 2026 to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
You requested the following information:

I request the following information held by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, 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 New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 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.

After reviewing your request, NZTE considers that, as currently framed, aspects of it would require substantial collation and research across multiple systems and business units.

As context, NZTE’s role is to support New Zealand exporters. NZTE does not negotiate trade agreements; once an agreement is concluded and moves towards entry into force, NZTE focuses on helping exporters understand its implications, and supports other agencies and the Minister for Trade and Investment by providing context on how the agreement affects New Zealand businesses.

To assist us in responding efficiently, we suggest refining the scope of your request in the following ways:

(1) Timeframe refinement: We propose applying a timeframe of 11 November 2025 to 28 April 2026 (the date NZTE received your request) for questions 1(d), 1(e), and 1(f). The reason for this is that:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was the lead agency during New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations and NZTE’s involvement was limited until negotiations substantively concluded on 22 December 2025. However, a communications plan was proactively created by NZTE shortly before that, on 11 November 2025, so we propose aligning the timeframe to this date.

(2) Subject matter refinement: Limit the scope to material specifically relating to the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement, rather than “India or the FTA”, noting that references to India arise broadly across NZTE’s day-to-day work. This refinement would apply to all questions set out above.

Please confirm whether you are willing to amend your request on this basis. If helpful, we would be happy to discuss this with you.

Ngâ mihi,
Grace

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From: Ministerials
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

14 May 2026

 

Joshua Riley [1][FOI #34551 email]>

 

Dear Joshua,

 

OIA 25-26-27: NZTE content and analysis on India manufacturing and the
NZ–India FTA

 

Thank you for your email dated 12 May 2026 to New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise (NZTE). We acknowledge your request that question 4 not be
transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). We will
respond to question 4 together with the other parts of your request.

 

After reviewing your request, NZTE considers that, as currently framed,
aspects of it would require substantial collation and research across
multiple systems and business units.

 

To enable us to respond efficiently to your request, we suggest refining
the scope in two ways:

 1. Subject matter refinement: Limit the scope to material specifically
relating to the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement, rather than
“India”, noting that references to India arise broadly across NZTE’s
day-to-day work; and

 

 2. Timeframe refinement: Applying a timeframe of 22 December 2025 to 28
April 2026 (the date request was received). The reason for this is
that:

MFAT was the lead agency during New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement
negotiations and NZTE’s involvement was limited until negotiations
substantively concluded on 22 December 2025.

 

We propose applying this refined scope to all questions set out below:

 

1. All content published on the myNZTE portal (my.nzte.govt.nz) and on
nzte.govt.nz relating to:

a. Manufacturing in India, offshoring or outsourcing manufacturing to
India, or sourcing design, engineering, or technical services from India;
b. The New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement, its negotiation, signing,
or implementation; c. Setting up business operations, hiring, or
establishing a presence in India.

For each item, please provide the URL, the date first published, the dates
of any material amendments, and the substantive content of each version
(current and prior). For the avoidance of doubt, this includes content
currently behind the myNZTE login.

2. All drafts, editorial notes, review comments, sign-off records, and
internal communications relating to the development, approval, and
publication of the content described in (1), including any decisions about
how to characterise India's labour market, labour costs, workforce, or
manufacturing environment.

3. All briefings, instructions, communications plans, content strategies,
talking points, or correspondence provided to NZTE by, or exchanged
between NZTE and:

a. The Office of the Prime Minister;

b. The Office of the Minister for Trade and Investment; c. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade; d. The Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet; e. Any other government agency, Minister's office, or political
staffer; in relation to NZTE's India-facing or FTA-related exporter
content, communications, or promotional activity.

4. All economic modelling, analysis, briefings, advice, or commissioned
research held by NZTE concerning the likely impact of the NZ–India FTA on:

a. New Zealand-based manufacturing employment; b. The outsourcing or
offshoring of design, engineering, or production work by New Zealand firms
to India; c. Wage effects in New Zealand sectors exposed to the agreement;
d. Job creation or displacement attributable to the agreement.

5. Any correspondence, contracts, statements of work, or financial records
relating to external consultants, agencies, or contractors engaged by NZTE
in connection with India-facing content, communications, or promotional
activity relating to the FTA, including any social media or influencer
engagement.

6. Any internal correspondence (including on personal devices and
non-government accounts where relating to official business, consistent
with the Ombudsman's guidance on the OIA) concerning editorial or
strategic decisions about NZTE's India and FTA content.

 

Please confirm whether you are willing to amend your request on this
basis. If helpful, we would be happy to discuss this with you.

 

Ngâ mihi,

Tosca

 

 

 

This e-mail message, together with any attachments, is for the intended
recipient only and may not be disclosed to any other person. If you are
not the intended recipient and you have received or seen this message
through an error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the
email from your system. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the message, or
the information it contains, may be unlawful. New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise accepts no responsibility for changes made to this email or to
any attachments after transmission from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
The information contained in this email, together with any attachments,
does not necessarily represent the official view of New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise. It is your responsibility to check this email and any
attachments for viruses.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #34551 email]

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From: Joshua Riley

Dear Grace,

Thank you for your 14 May correspondence proposing scope refinements to my OIA request of 26 April 2026.

I take seriously NZTE's section 18(f) considerations and am willing to discuss reasonable refinements. However, the proposals as drafted give me concerns about the search parameters that would result. I would like to discuss the search methodology before agreeing to any scope changes, and I have specific concerns with two of NZTE's proposals.

On timeframe
NZTE proposes a start date of 11 November 2025 on the basis that this is when NZTE's communications plan was created. I do not consider this a sound basis for limiting the search period. The date a formal communications plan is created does not delimit the period in which relevant communications may have occurred — preparatory work, exploratory briefings, and early strategic discussions routinely predate the formal plans they produce.
The original request period (1 January 2025 to 26 April 2026) was chosen because it spans the period during which significant FTA-related activity occurred publicly. If NZTE considers that 16 months of records would be substantially burdensome to search, I am willing to discuss a more limited pre-conclusion period — but the start date must be defined by reference to when relevant activity might have occurred, not by reference to internal NZTE document timing.
I propose a start date of 1 July 2025 as a reasonable compromise, reflecting the period during which substantive negotiation activity intensified and during which NZTE would reasonably have been receiving briefings on the developing agreement.

On subject matter
NZTE proposes narrowing the scope from "India or the FTA" to "the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement" only. I have concerns about this narrowing because coordinated promotional activity routinely involves building general positive context before connecting to a specific announcement. Communications about India market opportunities, NZ–India business relationships, or generic "India is open for business" messaging — promoted in the lead-up to the FTA — would naturally fall outside an "FTA-specific" scope while still being directly relevant to the substantive concern of my request.
I am willing to narrow the subject matter, but the refined scope must capture: (a) communications specifically about the FTA, AND (b) communications about India-related content that was promoted, amplified, or otherwise communicated as part of the lead-up to or in support of the FTA. The second category is the actual concern of items 1, 3, and 4 of my request and cannot be excluded by scope refinement without defeating the purpose of the OIA.

On search methodology — request for clarification
Before agreeing to any scope refinement, I would appreciate clarification on the following:
(i) Which business units within NZTE would be searched under the proposed scope, and which would not?
(ii) What search terms or keywords does NZTE propose to use, and would these capture communications that reference India or the FTA contextually without using those specific words?
(iii) Would the proposed scope capture communications conducted on personal devices or non-government accounts where they relate to official business, consistent with the Ombudsman's guidance on the OIA?
(iv) Would the proposed scope capture communications between NZTE staff and external parties (influencers, agencies, contractors, Indian government officials, diaspora groups) regardless of whether those communications were initiated by NZTE or by the external party?
I am asking for this clarification because the section 18(f) consultation process functions effectively only when both parties understand what the refined scope would and would not capture. I am not seeking to expand the scope beyond what is reasonable; I am seeking to ensure that the refined scope does not inadvertently exclude material directly relevant to the request.

Confirmation of substantive activity
Separately from the scope refinement, I would appreciate confirmation of whether the following categories of activity occurred during the period of my request, regardless of the volume of associated records:
(a) Any engagement (paid or unpaid) of third-party social media influencers, content creators, or operators of social media accounts in connection with FTA or India messaging;
(b) Any engagement of public relations, communications, marketing, or digital strategy firms or consultants in connection with FTA or India messaging;
(c) Any paid amplification spend on X/Twitter, Meta platforms, Google, or other social media platforms in connection with FTA or India messaging;
(d) Any communications between NZTE and X Corp / Twitter, Meta, or Google regarding the promotion, boosting, or analytics of FTA-related content.
If any of these activities occurred, confirmation in writing — separately from the search and disclosure process — would be useful and would inform how I respond to the scope refinement proposal. If none of these activities occurred, that confirmation would also be useful and may reduce the volume of records that need to be searched.

Refusal to refuse
For the avoidance of doubt: I am engaging with NZTE's section 18(f) process in good faith and am willing to discuss reasonable refinements. I am not, however, willing to accept refinements that would have the effect of excluding categories of records directly relevant to the substantive concerns of my request. If NZTE determines that the request as I have proposed to refine it (with a 1 July 2025 start date and the expanded subject-matter scope described above) still requires substantial collation under section 18(f), please discuss this with me before refusing on that basis. I am open to further refinement provided it does not exclude the substantive concerns.

Yours sincerely,
Joshua Riley

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From: Ministerials
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Kia ora Joshua,
Thank you for your considered response and for engaging constructively on potential refinements to your Official Information Act request OIA-25-26-26, related to "communications regarding social media amplification of India FTA messaging". New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) endeavor to refine the scope in a way that captures material that is meaningfully relevant, while remaining practicable to search and collate.

On timeframe
We agree to your proposed start date of 1 July 2025.

On subject matter
We will proceed with assessing your original request regarding subject matter, covering the period 1 July 2025 to the date your request was originally received.

On search methodology
NZTE’s search for information within the scope of your request will be consistent with the Ombudsman's guidance on the OIA.

On confirmation of activity
We understand your interest in confirming whether certain categories of activity occurred. However, as these matters form part of the substance of your request, NZTE will address them through the formal OIA response process.

Ngā mihi,
Grace

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From: Ministerials
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

25 May 2026

Joshua Riley [FOI #34551 email]>

Dear Joshua,

I am writing to update you on part of your OIA request (OIA-25-26-26) of communications regarding social media amplification of India FTA messaging.

The Official Information Act requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working days after the day we received your request. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit, and we are therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our decision, to 27 July 2026.

The reason for this extension is because:

(a) Your request seeks a substantial quantity of information and necessitates a search across a broad range of materials.
(b) Internal consultation is required to confirm, to the extent practicable, whether this information is held.

We will endeavour to respond to you sooner, with 27 July 2026 being the latest date for a decision. This extension is made under section 15A(1)(b), as the consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/ or you can freephone 0800 802 602.

Ngā mihi,
Grace

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