Kia ora Nigel,

  

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora on 6 June 2026.
You requested:

 

"Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following
information relating to the meaning, origin, and governance basis of the
name “Medsafe – New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety
Authority.”

This request is made in light of Medsafe’s recent statement that it “does
not use the terms ‘safe’, ‘effective’, or ‘safe and effective’, and
instead uses ‘acceptably safe’ or ‘benefits outweigh the risks’.” 
This raises significant questions about the meaning and accuracy of the
term “Safety Authority” in Medsafe’s own name.

1. Origin and intended meaning of the name “Medsafe”
Please provide all documents, correspondence, Cabinet papers, branding
decisions, internal discussions, or policy material that relate to:

the origin of the name “Medsafe”

the decision to include the word “safe” in the name

the intended meaning of “safe” at the time the name was adopted

any definitions, criteria, or conceptual frameworks associated with the
term “Safety Authority”

2. Internal interpretation of “Safety Authority”
Please provide all documents, guidance, internal communications, or policy
material that describe:

how Medsafe internally interprets the term “Safety Authority”

how Medsafe defines or operationalises “safety” in relation to its
statutory functions

any internal discussion about whether the term “Safety Authority” implies
the use of the word “safe”

any internal discussion about whether the term “Safety Authority” is
accurate given Medsafe’s stated avoidance of the word “safe”

3. Alignment between Medsafe’s name and its stated terminology
Please provide all documents, emails, or internal discussions that
address:

the relationship between the term “safe” in Medsafe’s name and Medsafe’s
stated position that it does not use the word “safe”

any analysis of whether the name “Medsafe” may be misleading, ambiguous,
or inconsistent with Medsafe’s terminology (“acceptably safe”, “benefits
outweigh the risks”)

any consideration of whether the name should be updated, clarified, or
reviewed

any risk‑communication or public‑trust analysis relating to this naming
inconsistency

4. Public‑facing implications of the name “Medsafe”
Please provide any documents, risk assessments, communication advice, or
internal analysis that relate to:

how the public is expected to interpret the term “Safety Authority”

whether Medsafe considers the name to imply a guarantee, threshold, or
definition of “safety”

whether Medsafe has ever assessed the risk of public misunderstanding
arising from the name

any advice to Ministers or other agencies about the meaning or
implications of the name “Medsafe”

5. Records of cross‑agency discussion about Medsafe’s name
Please provide any documents, emails, or discussions between Medsafe and:

Health NZ

Ministry of Health

EPA

Pharmac

any other agency

that relate to the meaning, accuracy, or implications of the name
“Medsafe”."
 

The reference number for your request is H2026083819. We will endeavour to
respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than
3 July 2026 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.

 

If you have any queries regarding your request, please feel free to
contact the OIA Services Team on [1][email address]. If any
additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request,
please do not hesitate to contact us so that these can be taken into
account. 

 

Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [2][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.

 

Ngā mihi, 
 
OIA Services Team

Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora

M[3]inistry of Health information releases

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