24 January 2023
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
Via email:
[FYI request #21376 email]
Tēnā koe New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
Request for information: All communication from Pharmac to Mediaworks from 1
December 2022 until the end of 12 December 2022.
Thank you for your request dated 9 December 2022 under the Official Information Act 1982
(OIA) for information relating to all communication from Pharmac to Mediaworks from 1
December 2022 until the end of 12 December 2022. You requested:
A copy of all emails (and any attachments) sent by any Pharmac employee or
contractor or company hired by Pharmac to any person at Mediaworks from 1
December 2022 until the end of 12 December 2022.
A copy of the communications plan, and all advice provided to the CE of
Pharmac, or to any other official working for Pharmac, or to any
communications/public relations company, relating to the communications
plan for the announcement of the decision to fund Trikafta.
A copy of all communications to and from the Minister of Health (or officials in
his office) relating to the media/communications handling of the
announcement of the decision to fund Trikafta. This includes, but is not limited
to, communications about the planning of the announcement, and all
communications after 1 December 2022 that refer to MediaWorks, Today FM,
or any of its employees.
A copy of all advice provided to the CE of Pharmac, or to any other official
working for Pharmac, or to any communications/public relations company,
relating to the decision to not provide information or interviews to Today FM or
any other MediaWorks station.
The criteria to be used by Pharmac in order to decide whether it can trust
Today FM or any other MediaWorks station, or any other media organisation
or individual journalist.
We acknowledge the public interest in this information, so we are preparing to proactively
release documents related to your request to our website. We intend to publish “all
communications to, from and within Pharmac; communication plans or strategies; memos;
notes of conversations; phone logs and/or briefings and advice relating to the proposal to
fund Trikafta dating between 1 December 2022 to 12 December.” Therefore, we are
declining your request under section 18(d) of the Official Information Act 1982, as the
information will soon be made publicly available.
2022-23-080; A1644291
Please note, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman about our response
to your OIA, under section 28(3) of the OIA. Details of
how to make a complaint are on the
Ombudsman’s website.
We trust that this information answers your queries. Please get in touch with us if you have
any questions about this.
Nāku noa, nā
Allanah Andrews
Manager, Policy and Government Services
2022-23-080; A1644291
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