New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
3 May 2022
195 Lambton Quay
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
Matthew Hooton
T +64 4 439 8000
[FYI request #19111 email]
F +64 4 472 9596
OIA 28007
Tēnā koe Matthew Hooton
I refer to your email of 11 April in which you request the following under the Official Information
Act 1982 (OIA):
… please advise the date on which ministry officials first proposed or considered the
establishment of the position of Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific)/Tuia Tāngata.
The specific Tuia Tangata role was created in early March 2022, following discussions with the
Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2021 regarding ways to lift Aotearoa New Zealand’s engagement on
the Sustainable Development Goals and Gender Equality in the context of the Pacific Resilience
partnership approach, which Cabinet adopted in November 2021.
Cabinet paper
CAB-21-MIN-0401 New Zealand’s Pacific Engagement: From Reset to Resilience has been proactively released on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (MFAT) website here:
Proactive Release – New Zealand’s Pacific Engagement: From Reset to Resilience | New Zealand
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (mfat.govt.nz).
Also proactively released on MFAT’s website are the Ministry’s advice to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs on the appointment of Louisa Wall to the Tuia Tangata position, and the position
description for the role. These documents are available here: Proactive Release: Tuia Tangata,
appointment of Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific) | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (mfat.govt.nz).
Please note that we may publish this letter (with your personal details redacted) on the Ministry’s
website.
If you have any questions about this decision, you can contact us by email at:
[email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of this decision by contacting www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Julie-Anne Lee
for Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade
e [MFAT request email]
w www.mfat.govt.nz