Please note that this acknowledgement is an automatically generated email.

Kia ora,

Thank you for contacting Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister of Justice, Minister
for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Minister for Media and Communications and
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations.

Hon Paul Goldsmith considers all correspondence important and appreciates
you taking the time to write. As the Minister receives a large amount of
correspondence, it is not always possible to personally reply to all
emails.

If your correspondence is diary related, requests will be processed
accordingly.

If your correspondence requires a response, you can expect a response in
due course.

If your correspondence relates to another Minister's portfolio, your
correspondence will be transferred to the appropriate Minister.

If your correspondence expresses an opinion, it will be noted.

If your request relates to media, it will be referred to Minister
Goldsmith’s Press Secretary.

If you have made a request for official information then this will be
managed in accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act
1982, which may include transfer to a more relevant Minister or agency.
Over the holiday period in December and January
there is a three-week period that doesn’t count as ‘working days’. For
Official Information Act (OIA) requests, that period is 25 December to 15
January, inclusive. That means any OIA requests submitted on 27 November
or later may take a bit longer than you
expected.

Latest information from the Beehive can be found here: 

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/ 

If you are concerned about someone's wellbeing, you can call your local
mental health crisis team. A full list of numbers is available here:

https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/s...

Thank you for the taking the time to write.

Ngâ mihi,

Office of Hon Paul Goldsmith
Minister of Justice| Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage | Minister
for Media and Communications | Minister for Treaty of Waitangi
Negotiations

Freepost: Private Bag 18041 | Parliament Buildings | Wellington 6011

Good afternoon,

 

On behalf of Hon Paul Goldsmith, I acknowledge receipt of your official
information request dated 15 May, where you requested the following:

 

In viewing a chronology of events  for   period 1770   to today   with the
assistance of  AI on google  we  get this

 

New Zealand was first officially given its anglicized name on a British
map in 1770, but its official constitutional title evolved significantly
over time. The name itself traces back to Dutch cartographers who named
the islands Nieuw Zeeland in the 1600s after the Dutch province of
Zeeland.

The milestones for the nation's official status include:

•            May 1840: Captain William Hobson proclaimed British
sovereignty over New Zealand, which was initially administered as part of
New South Wales.

•            November 1840: A Royal Charter made New Zealand an officially
separate Crown Colony, taking effect in May 1841.

•            September 26, 1907: By Royal Proclamation, the "Colony of New
Zealand" was officially upgraded to the "Dominion of New Zealand," marking
a major step towards self-governance within the British Empire.

•            1947: New Zealand adopted the Statute of Westminster, which
meant the British Parliament could no longer make laws for the country
without its consent. This granted full legislative independence.

•            The British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948
was a landmark piece of legislation that officially established New
Zealand citizenship, separating it from the previously unified status of
British subjects. It came into force on January 1, 1949, marking a crucial
step in New Zealand's national independence

•            The 1948 Act remained in effect until it was repealed and
replaced by the Citizenship Act 1977. The 1977 Act, which came into force
on January 1, 1978, completely modernized and consolidated New Zealand's
citizenship laws.

•            People who held "British subject" status under the British
Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 legally ceased to be
British subjects on January 1, 1983. This occurred because the United
Kingdom’s updated British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on that
date, effectively severing the automatic, overarching "British subject"
status that all Commonwealth citizens historically shared-Because New
Zealand had already passed its own Citizenship Act 1977, those affected
transitioned fully to being New Zealand citizens without the British
descriptor.

•            1986: The Constitution Act ended the last of the residual
British legislative powers over New Zealand's government

•            New Zealand achieved complete legal and constitutional
independence from the British Crown through a series of steps rather than
a single event, culminating on January 1, 1987, when the Constitution Act
1986 took effect and ended all residual legislative power of the British
Parliament

•            2003: Established the Supreme Court, which completely severed
the right of final judicial appeal to the British Privy Council

 

The partners to the Treaty of Waitangi are Māori  and the British Crown.

The   treaty was signed  before New Zealand  became a colony in its own
right

 

My questions

 

what legislation   has been passed  since 1987  ie  by a  Government which
was not  made up of British  subjects and was soley comprised of  New
Zealand citizens

1.    which makes  New Zealand  a  party to  the treaty of waitangi

2.Contracts are enforceable on the parties  to the contract   by what
means  and when  did the  independent New Zealand ( ie a governemnt of 
New Zealnd citizens by NZ citizens )  become a party to the contract or 
inheret obligations to  it .

 

We received your request on 15 May. We will endeavour to respond to your
request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 15 June, being
20 working days after the day your request was received.

 

If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.

 

Kind Regards,

 

[1]A blue and Office of Hon Paul Goldsmith
white emblem
Description Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage | Minister of Justice
automatically
generated Minister for Media and Communications | Minister for Pacific
Peoples

Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations 

Email [2][Paul Goldsmith request email] | [3]www.beehive.govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New
Zealand

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Good afternoon Grace,

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request of 19
May 2026. Specifically, you requested:

 

“what legislation   has been passed  since 1987  ie  by a  Government
which was not  made up of British  subjects and was soley comprised of 
New Zealand citizens

1.    which makes  New Zealand  a  party to  the treaty of waitangi

2.Contracts are enforceable on the parties  to the contract   by what
means  and when  did the  independent New Zealand ( ie a governemnt of 
New Zealnd citizens by NZ citizens )  become a party to the contract or 
inheret obligations to  it .”

 

While the Act allows New Zealanders to ask Ministers and government
agencies for information, there is no requirement under the Act for them
to create new information, compile information they do not hold, answer
hypothetical questions or, as in this case, provide or prove an opinion.
The Act does not support requests where statements are put to Ministers
and agencies for response, couched as a request for official information.
Therefore, your request is refused under section 18(g) of the Act on the
grounds that the information is not held by Minister Goldsmith or any
other agency subject to the Act.

 

You have the right under section 28 of the Act to seek a review of this
response from the Ombudsman. The Office of the Ombudsman can be contacted
at [1][email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.

 

Kind Regards,

 

[2]A blue and Office of Hon Paul Goldsmith
white emblem
Description Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage | Minister of Justice
automatically
generated Minister for Media and Communications | Minister for Pacific
Peoples

Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations 

Email [3][Paul Goldsmith request email] | [4]www.beehive.govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New
Zealand

 

 

 

 

From: Paul Goldsmith (MIN) <[5][email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 19 May 2026 10:43 AM
To: Grace Haden <[6][FOI #34711 email]>
Subject: RE: OIAPG892 / Official Information request - When did New
Zealand become a party to the treaty of waitangi

 

Good afternoon,

 

On behalf of Hon Paul Goldsmith, I acknowledge receipt of your official
information request dated 15 May, where you requested the following:

 

In viewing a chronology of events  for   period 1770   to today   with the
assistance of  AI on google  we  get this

 

New Zealand was first officially given its anglicized name on a British
map in 1770, but its official constitutional title evolved significantly
over time. The name itself traces back to Dutch cartographers who named
the islands Nieuw Zeeland in the 1600s after the Dutch province of
Zeeland.

The milestones for the nation's official status include:

•            May 1840: Captain William Hobson proclaimed British
sovereignty over New Zealand, which was initially administered as part of
New South Wales.

•            November 1840: A Royal Charter made New Zealand an officially
separate Crown Colony, taking effect in May 1841.

•            September 26, 1907: By Royal Proclamation, the "Colony of New
Zealand" was officially upgraded to the "Dominion of New Zealand," marking
a major step towards self-governance within the British Empire.

•            1947: New Zealand adopted the Statute of Westminster, which
meant the British Parliament could no longer make laws for the country
without its consent. This granted full legislative independence.

•            The British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948
was a landmark piece of legislation that officially established New
Zealand citizenship, separating it from the previously unified status of
British subjects. It came into force on January 1, 1949, marking a crucial
step in New Zealand's national independence

•            The 1948 Act remained in effect until it was repealed and
replaced by the Citizenship Act 1977. The 1977 Act, which came into force
on January 1, 1978, completely modernized and consolidated New Zealand's
citizenship laws.

•            People who held "British subject" status under the British
Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 legally ceased to be
British subjects on January 1, 1983. This occurred because the United
Kingdom’s updated British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on that
date, effectively severing the automatic, overarching "British subject"
status that all Commonwealth citizens historically shared-Because New
Zealand had already passed its own Citizenship Act 1977, those affected
transitioned fully to being New Zealand citizens without the British
descriptor.

•            1986: The Constitution Act ended the last of the residual
British legislative powers over New Zealand's government

•            New Zealand achieved complete legal and constitutional
independence from the British Crown through a series of steps rather than
a single event, culminating on January 1, 1987, when the Constitution Act
1986 took effect and ended all residual legislative power of the British
Parliament

•            2003: Established the Supreme Court, which completely severed
the right of final judicial appeal to the British Privy Council

 

The partners to the Treaty of Waitangi are Māori  and the British Crown.

The   treaty was signed  before New Zealand  became a colony in its own
right

 

My questions

 

what legislation   has been passed  since 1987  ie  by a  Government which
was not  made up of British  subjects and was soley comprised of  New
Zealand citizens

1.    which makes  New Zealand  a  party to  the treaty of waitangi

2.Contracts are enforceable on the parties  to the contract   by what
means  and when  did the  independent New Zealand ( ie a governemnt of 
New Zealnd citizens by NZ citizens )  become a party to the contract or 
inheret obligations to  it .

 

We received your request on 15 May. We will endeavour to respond to your
request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 15 June, being
20 working days after the day your request was received.

 

If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.

 

Kind Regards,

 

[7]A blue and Office of Hon Paul Goldsmith
white emblem
Description Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage | Minister of Justice
automatically
generated Minister for Media and Communications | Minister for Pacific
Peoples

Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government

Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations 

Email [8][Paul Goldsmith request email] | [9]www.beehive.govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New
Zealand

 

 

 

show quoted sections