13 October 2022
Scott
[FYI request #19739 email]
Tēnā koe Scott,
Your Official Information Act request, reference: H2022012935
Thank you for your email of 19 September 2022, regarding your previous official information act
response, ref: H2022010649.
As part of the health and disability system reforms, as of 1 July 2022 the functions previously under
the Manatū Hauora (the Ministry of Health) Office of the Director, Outbreak Response have
transferred to Te Whatu Ora. As the matters you have raised now fal under the functions of Te
Whatu Ora, our agency wil respond to your request which has been considered under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act).
I shal quote and respond to each part of your request below.
Thank you for your reply. On the point of parts One, Two and Four of my request that you
have rejected citing 9(2)(f)(iv), I intend to ask the office of the Ombudsman to review your
decision. There is clearly an overriding public interest in the publication of these documents
which I don't believe you properly considered.
Please note, there are no surge plans in response to our setting for Omicron and the documents you
seek are examples and not plans.
Therefore, Te Whatu Ora confirms the previous advice provided in your previous request for this
information.
On the point of part Three of my request, for a copy of the vaccine strategy referred to in this
passage of the COVID-19 Variants of Concern framework summary:
"Work continues on… developing a vaccine strategy that wil support rapid supply and rol -out
of any new vaccines.”
Unfortunately your response shows that you have misinterpreted my request. As the passage
I cited when I submitted my request makes clear, the "vaccine strategy" I have requested a
copy of was part of the Ministry's Variants of Concern response, and was stil in development
as at the time the Variants of Concern Strategic Framework was released (i.e. as at May or
June this year). The Cabinet paper you have sent me a link to is dated May 2020 - clearly this
is a different "vaccine strategy".
Please kindly provide me a response for my request for a copy of the specific vaccine strategy
that I requested. As this was an error on your end - I think I made it perfectly clear what
vaccine strategy I was after - I would appreciate if you provided me with your response on
this promptly.
The vaccine strategy paper you seek is still being considered by Ministers and is withheld in ful under
section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act to maintain the constitutional conventions that protect the
confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials. 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.
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
83 Molesworth Street, PO Box 5013
Welington New Zealand 6140
You are advised of your right to also raise any concerns with the Office of the Ombudsman.
Information about how to do this is available at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning
0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Rachael Hopkins
Group Manager
Office of the Director Outbreak Response
