133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
12 April 2023
J Bruning
Email:
[FYI request #22085 email]
Ref:
H2023021708
Tēnā koe J Bruning
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to Manatū Hauora
(the Ministry of Health) on 13 March 2023. You requested
“Please supply urgently, between 27 February 2021 and 9 March 2021 the following
information:
[a] All discussions via WhatsApp, Signal, Messenger, private email, Parliamentary or
political party email by officials, including Ministers and the Director General of Health
discussing Pfizer, BioNTech, the post-marketing report, FDA, deaths and adverse events.
As advised on 28 March 2023, this part of your request was transferred to Te Whatu Ora under
section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect a response from their agency in due course.
[b] All reports, releases, memos, advice discussing and/or reviewing the implications of,
contents, evidence in the post-marketing report supplied as a requirement in the Gazette
conditions, and taking all steps to reasonably consider the harm profile to the population
who were not at risk of hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 (required by Health Act,
Part3A, s.92, Overarching Principles). This includes the risk to pregnant women, young
people and children.
https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&d=xPWO5IG0S9IG1QQH39rnTkhgZdcJdfKRS
4ydMCk7zQ&u=https%3a%2f%2fwww%2elegislation%2egovt%2enz%2fact%2fpublic%2f
1956%2f0065%2flatest%2fwhole%2ehtml%23DLM307296
This part of your request cannot be provided on the following grounds:
• section 9(2)(b)(ii) where its release would likely unreasonably prejudice the commercial
position of the person who supplied the information.
• section 18(f) as the information requested cannot be made available without substantial
collation or research.
• section 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of natural persons
This cohort [group 4], 2 million people, were targeted by the Minister for COVID-19 to be
injected from July 2021. General civil society would be required to be injected to work, to
access services and public facilities. Therefore, it would be expected that a risk-benefit
analyses for these individuals would be undertaken so as to protect public health, as
required by the overarching legislation. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&d=xPWO5IG0S9IG1QQH39rnTkhgZdcJdfKRS
4HJZSttnA&u=https%3a%2f%2fcovid19%2egovt%2enz%2fnews-and-data%2flatest-
news%2fcovid-19-vaccine-rollout-plan%2f
Your request is refused under section 18(d) of the act as the information (a risk assessment)
requested is publicly available on the link provided here
https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/information-
release/h2022014809_response.pdf
[c] All discussions via WhatsApp, Signal, Messenger, private email, Parliamentary or
political party email sent by officials, including Ministers and the Director General of Health
planning and discussing the signing of the second agreement.”
Manatū Hauora would need to conduct a search through a large number of inboxes for any
information that includes mention of Pfizer contract. As such, conducting a search without
unreasonably interfering with the operations of the relevant teams is not possible. I have
considered whether charging or extending the time to compile the information would enable us
to respond. However, I do not believe it is in the public interest to do so. Therefore, your request
is refused under section 18(f) of the Act, as the information requested cannot be made available
without substantial collation or research. Additionally, as much of this information is regarding
Pfizer and their intellectual properly, it is likely that some or all of this information would be
withheld because it is free and frank and/or commercially sensitive reasons.
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
Manatū Hauora website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-
official-information-act-requests. Nāku noa, nā
Megan McCoy
Acting Group Manager, Government Services
Government and Executive Services | Te Pou Whakatere Kāwanatanga
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