133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
21 February 2022
Harold
By email: [FYI request #17035 email]
Ref:
H202200510
Tēnā koe Harold
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health (the Ministry) on 24 January 2022 for documents relating to COVID-19 Testing Technical
Advisory Group and the COVID-19 Therapeutics Technical Advisory Group from November
2021. You requested:
“1) Al meeting minutes
2) Al reports or advice they have produced and submitted to any minister”
Six documents have been found within scope of your request. Information within scope of this
request is itemised in Appendix 1 of this letter and copies of the documents are enclosed. The
table in Appendix 1 also outlines the grounds under which I have decided to withhold
information. Where information is withheld, this is noted in the document itself. I have
considered the countervailing public interest in release in making this decision and consider that
it does not outweigh the need to withhold at this time.
The Technical Advisory Group does not provide any reports direct to Ministers.
I trust this information fulfils your request. 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:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-official-
information-act-requests.
Nāku noa, nā
Dr Ian Town
Chief Science Advisor
Chair, COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group
Appendix 1: Documents for release
# Date
Title
Decision on release
1 11 November 2021
Meeting Minutes: COVID-19 Testing Released with some
Technical Advisory Group
information withheld under
2 25 November 2021
section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act
3 14 January 2022
Meeting Minutes: COVID-19
to maintain the
Therapeutics Technical Advisory
constitutional conventions
4 10 December 2021
Group Te Ropu Haumanu Kowheori- that protect the
5 26 November 2021
19
confidentiality of advice
tendered by Ministers and
6 12 November 2021
officials and section9(2)(k)
of the Act to prevent the
disclosure or use of official
information for improper gain
or improper advantage.
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