I am making a request under the Official Information Act 1982 for the following information held by New Zealand Police.

Definitions used in this request

For the purposes of this request:

- "Social media post" means any publicly or semi-publicly visible communication made on a third-party online platform, including but not limited to X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, Bluesky, Threads, blogs, and online comment sections.
- "Police contact" means any of the following, where the originating reason recorded by Police relates wholly or substantially to the content of a social media post: (a) a phone call, email, or other communication initiated by Police to the author of the post; (b) a request that the author attend a Police station or meet with Police; (c) a visit by Police to the author's home, workplace, or other location; (d) a formal interview, whether under caution or not; (e) a recorded warning, prevention-first conversation, or file note; (f) any arrest, charge, or prosecution.
- "Government-originated referral" means any complaint, request, referral, or notification received by Police from a Minister, Ministerial office, government department, Crown entity, statutory officer, local authority, or any employee or contractor of the foregoing acting in their official capacity.

Information requested

1. The number of Police contacts (as defined above) with members of the public arising from a social media post, broken down by calendar month, for the period 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2025 (a 5-year window).

2. For each month in the same period, a breakdown of those contacts by category of outcome, including at minimum: (a) no further action; (b) warning or prevention-first conversation; (c) formal interview without charge; (d) charge filed; (e) other (please specify categories used).

3. For each month in the same period, a breakdown of the originating source of the complaint or referral that led to the contact, including at minimum: (a) member of the public; (b) social media platform itself; (c) another Police district or unit; (d) a government-originated referral as defined above; (e) Police-initiated (proactive monitoring); (f) other.

4. For contacts originating from a government-originated referral, the name of the referring Minister, agency, department, or Crown entity, and the number of referrals from each, broken down by year.

5. Any internal Police policy, guidance, standard operating procedure, training material, or instruction document currently in force, or in force at any point during the requested period, that addresses how Police should respond to:
(a) complaints about the content of social media posts;
(b) speech that is lawful but considered offensive, hateful, or harmful;
(c) referrals from government agencies regarding online speech;
(d) the application of section 61 of the Human Rights Act 1993, the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015, or section 14 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to social media content.

6. The total number of Police staff (FTE or headcount) assigned at any point during the requested period to roles whose primary or substantial function involves monitoring, triaging, or responding to online or social media content, including any specialist team, unit, or programme dedicated to this purpose. Please identify the team(s) by name.

Format and scope

I am content to receive aggregate numerical data in spreadsheet form (CSV or Excel). I am not seeking the names of any private individuals contacted by Police, nor the content of specific posts, and I accept that personal information of that kind is properly withheld under section 9(2)(a).

If any part of this request is likely to be refused under section 18(f) on grounds of substantial collation or research, I ask that you contact me under section 18A to discuss how the request might be refined to make it manageable. In particular, I would welcome advice on:

- whether NIA, the Case Management System, or any other Police database holds a flag, code, or tag that identifies social-media-related contacts;
- the earliest date from which such data is reasonably retrievable;
- whether the data can be produced for a shorter period (e.g. 3 years) without triggering s 18(f);
- whether any of the requested categories above are recorded in a way that allows extraction without manual file review.

Please acknowledge receipt and confirm the date by which I can expect a substantive response under section 15(1).