24 June 2026
Ref: OIA-2025/26-0774
Penny Claridge
[FYI request #34797 email]
Tēnā koe Penny,
Official Information Act request relating to pandemic preparedness, GAVI, and the
New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement
Thank you for your request made under the Official Information Act (the Act), which was
received by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) on 29 May 2026. You
requested:
“[…] the following information:
1. Any papers, briefings, agendas, or records of decisions from the Cabinet National
Security Committee (NSC) that address pandemic preparedness in the context of
New Zealand's relationship with GAVI (the Vaccine Al iance), the World Health
Organization, or the Gates Foundation, during the period 1 January 2024 to date.
2. Any papers, briefings, agendas, or records of decisions from the Cabinet National
Security Committee or any Cabinet committee that address the implications of the
New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement for New Zealand's national security or
biosecurity, specifically including any discussion of pharmaceutical supply chain
resilience or emergency vaccine procurement, during the period 1 January 2024
to 26 April 2026.
3. Any correspondence, briefing papers, or records of communication between
DPMC officials and Helen Clark - in any capacity - regarding pandemic
preparedness, GAVI's role in New Zealand's health security framework, or the NZ-
India FTA pharmaceutical provisions, during the period 1 January 2024 to date.
4. Any DPMC or Cabinet records that address New Zealand's obligations or
commitments under GAVI's co-financing or support agreements, and whether
those commitments were considered during NZ-India FTA negotiations, during the
period 1 January 2024 to 26 April 2026.
5. Any DPMC assessments, risk papers, or briefings regarding the 2026 WHO Public
Health Emergency of International Concern declarations - specifically the
Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC/Uganda (declared 17 May 2026) and the
Bangladesh measles outbreak - prepared during the period 1 January 2026 to
date […]”
For ease of reference, I have numbered the parts of your request.
On 17 June 2026, we notified you of DPMC’s decision to transfer Part 1 of your request to
the Ministry of Health, and Part 2 and the aspect of Part 4 seeking Cabinet material to the
Minister for Trade and Investment, Hon Todd McClay. We also referred you to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (MFAT) for the forthcoming response to your request to them
with respect to any additional material in scope of Part 2.
5159743
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
Cabinet material – Parts 1, 2 and 4
While the Cabinet Office, a business unit within DPMC, holds all Cabinet papers and
minutes, portfolio Ministers and lead agencies are better positioned to assess their own
material for release under the Act. As a result, DPMC transfers requests for Cabinet material
from the current administration to the relevant portfolio Minister, and requests for material
from previous administrations to the appropriate government agency. This applies to the
parts of your request that were transferred under section 14(b)(i ) of the Act.
The present response therefore addresses only material held by DPMC that is relevant to
Part 3, Part 5, and the remainder of Part 4 (that is, the aspects not transferred to the Minister
for Trade and Investment).
Part 3
We have interpreted this part of your request as seeking any correspondence or formal
advice on the specified topics that DPMC has sent to or received from Helen Clark during the
period 1 January 2024 – 29 May 2026.
Parts 4 and 5
We have interpreted Part 5 and the remaining aspect of Part 4 as seeking formal advice on
the specified topics. Part 5 covers the period 1 January 2026 to 29 May 2026, while Part 4
covers the period 1 January 2024 to 26 April 2026.
Information to be refused
For the parts of your request that remain with DPMC, we have conducted reasonable
searches of our information management systems. These searches have not identified any
material within scope of Part 3, Part 5, or the remaining aspect of Part 4. Accordingly, I am
refusing these parts of your request under section 18(e) of the Act, on the basis that the
information does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
This response wil be published on the DPMC website during our regular publication cycle.
Typically, information is released monthly, or as otherwise determined. Your personal
information including name and contact details wil be removed for publication.
Nāku noa, nā
Jeremy Clarke-Watson
Deputy Chief Executive
National Security and Resilience Group
5159743
2
