Thank you for contacting the Office of Hon Erica Stanford, Minister of
Education, Minister of Immigration, Lead Coordination Minister for the
Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into Historical
Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, and
Member of Parliament for East Coast Bays.

We appreciate you reaching out – the Minister considers all correspondence
to be important, and all messages are carefully read and considered.
Please do note it is not always possible to provide a personal response to
every email received. Personal views, feedback and suggestions are
gratefully received and will be passed on to the Minister and/or relevant
Agencies.
NCEA Proposal
The Minister welcomes your feedback on the Government’s proposal to
replace NCEA with new national qualifications that are laser focused on
raising student achievement and providing clear pathways for future study,
training or employment. Consultation is open until 15 September. You can
find the full proposal and instructions on how to provide feedback here:
[1]https://www.education.govt.nz/have-your-...
Please note the following to help us direct your correspondence:

* If you are seeking ministerial intervention for an immigration case,
please contact Associate Minister of Immigration, Hon Chris Penk, at
[email address] Minister Stanford is unable to comment on
individual cases.
* Emails relating to education matters that are operational in
nature will be transferred to the Ministry of Education (or other
agency).  Minister Stanford is unable to comment on individual cases.
You can contact the Ministry directly at:
[email address]
* For assistance related to historical abuse in state care, please
contact the Survivor Experiences Team at
[email address].
* If you have invited Minister Stanford to an event, or requested a
meeting, a member of staff may contact you for more information.
* Official Information or Privacy Act requests will be managed under the
relevant Acts, which may include transfer to another Agency.
* If you are a journalist, your request will be referred to the Press
Secretary.
* If you are a constituent of East Coast Bays, your email will be shared
with the Electorate Office.

Thank you again for writing to Minister Stanford.
Kind regards,
Office of Hon Erica Stanford
Reception: +64 4 817 6805 | Ministerial Email:
[2][Erica Stanford request email] |
Web: beehive.govt.nz  | Post: Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 041,
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

References

Visible links
1. https://www.education.govt.nz/have-your-...
2. mailto:[Erica Stanford request email]

OIA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 

 

Dear Ronda,

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request,
received on 26/09/2025, in which you requested the following information:

 

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request information about the
government's discussions with Meta (owners of Facebook, Instagram, and
Messenger) on social media rules for people under 16.

 

For the period from 1 January 2024 to 26 September 2025, please provide:

 

- Records of any meetings between government officials (including you or
your staff) and Meta representatives, such as minutes, notes, or attendee
lists.

- Any emails or letters between government officials and Meta about teen
protections, age bans, or harmful content.

- Any government reports or briefings on Meta's "Teen Accounts" and how
well they work.

Details on the parliamentary inquiry into social media bans, including
what Meta submitted.

- Any proposals you're taking to Cabinet on protecting kids online.

Your request will be answered within the provisions of the Official
Information Act.

 

 

Kind regards,

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

 

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

 

MP for East Coast Bays

Minister of Education

Minister of Immigration

Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal
Commission’s Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care
of Faith-based Institutions

 
Website: [1]www.Beehive,govt.nz

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is
confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or
transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author
by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is
prohibited and may be unlawful.

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Ronda,

 

Thank you for your email of 26 September 2025.

 

Some of the information requested in part 2 of your request is not held by
my office, but is believed to be held by the Ministry of Education. I am
therefore transferring this part of your request to the Ministry under
S14(b)(i) of the Act, noting that my office will also search and collate
any evidence we do have for this part of your request.

Also, the information requested in part 3 of your request is more closely
connected to the Ministry, and is being transferred to the Ministry under
S14(b)(ii) of the Act.

 

You can expect to receive a response from the Ministry in due course.

 

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

 

MP for East Coast Bays

Minister of Education

Minister of Immigration

Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal
Commission’s Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care
of Faith-based Institutions

 

 
Website: [1]www.Beehive,govt.nz

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is
confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or
transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author
by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is
prohibited and may be unlawful.

 

 

show quoted sections

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Kia ora Ronda

 

Thank you for the information request below, that was part transferred to
the Ministry on 6 October 2025.  The Ministry will consider and respond to
your request in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982 the
Act).

 

Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of
our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any
case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is
received. You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your request
on or before 4 November 2025. If more than 20 working days are needed due
to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in answering your
request, we will notify you accordingly.

 

The Ministry may publicly release on our website the response to your
request five days after you have received it. Any personal information
will be removed.

 

In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email
[1][email address]

 

Ngā mihi

 

Enquiries National Team | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of
Education | TW

[2]education.govt.nz

We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
[3]Te TD huhu o te MD tauranga

 

 

 

From: Erica Stanford (MIN) <[4][email address]>
Sent: Monday, 6 October 2025 4:25 pm
To: Ronda <[5][FOI #32403 email]>
Cc: Erica Stanford (MIN) <[6][email address]>
Subject: RE: ESOIA719 | Official Information request - Government Talks
with Meta on Social Media for Under-16s

 

Dear Ronda,

 

Thank you for your email of 26 September 2025.

 

Some of the information requested in part 2 of your request is not held by
my office, but is believed to be held by the Ministry of Education. I am
therefore transferring this part of your request to the Ministry under
S14(b)(i) of the Act, noting that my office will also search and collate
any evidence we do have for this part of your request.

Also, the information requested in part 3 of your request is more closely
connected to the Ministry, and is being transferred to the Ministry under
S14(b)(ii) of the Act.

 

You can expect to receive a response from the Ministry in due course.

 

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

 

MP for East Coast Bays

Minister of Education

Minister of Immigration

Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal
Commission’s Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care
of Faith-based Institutions

 

 
Website: [7]www.Beehive,govt.nz

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is
confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or
transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author
by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is
prohibited and may be unlawful.

 

 

show quoted sections

Good morning Ronda,

 

Please see attached the response to your Official Information Act request.

 

Kind regards,

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

 

Office of Hon Erica Stanford

 

MP for East Coast Bays

Minister of Education

Minister of Immigration

Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal
Commission’s Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care
of Faith-based Institutions

 

 
Website: [1]www.Beehive,govt.nz

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

 

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is
confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or
transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author
by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is
prohibited and may be unlawful.

 

 

show quoted sections

[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Tçnâ koe Ronda

 

We refer to your email of 26 September 2025 to the Minister of Education,
Hon Erica Stanford, the following parts of which were partially
transferred to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) on 6 October 2025:

Any emails or letters between government officials and Meta about teen
protections, age bans, or harmful content.

Any government reports or briefings on Meta's "Teen Accounts" and how well
they work.

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act).

In May 2025, the Prime Minister announced that the consideration of social
media restrictions for under 16s is on the Government work programme. The
scope of the Education portfolio was subsequently updated to include
responsibility for leading the Government’s work on restricting social
media for under 16-year-olds. This work will explore options for driving
this policy forward, including through legislation.

A private member's bill proposed by National MP Catherine Wedd to ban
social media for under-16s has been drawn from the ballot, as set out
here: [1]Members’ bills ballot for Thursday, 23 October 2025. However, it
not yet been determined how this work will proceed. You can read more
about this here: [2]Bill banning social media for under-16s drawn from
ballot, but future uncertain | The Post.

As a result, the Ministry has not engaged with Meta or prepared any advice
for Ministers on Meta’s ‘Teen Accounts’, so we are refusing your request
under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information requested does not
exist.

Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to
review our decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the
Act. You can do this by writing to [3][email address] or to
Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

Nâku noa, nâ,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[4]education.govt.nz

He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ôna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[5][IMG]

 

 

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