4 March 2024
John Luke
[FYI request #25603 email]
Ref: DOIA-2324-0562
Tēnā koe John
Your Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 2 February 2024 to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities (the
Ministry) requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Your
requests and our responses are below:
1) …How many potential candidates for the [King’s Birthday Honours 2024 have
you] supplied to the Minister? And how many has the Minister agree[d] to
nominate?
The Ministry holds information regarding the potential candidates identified for a King’s
Birthday Honours 2024 that were provided to the Minister; and if any candidates were
nominated by the Minister. However, protecting the confidentiality of the New Zealand
Royal Honours (NZRH) details are essential to maintaining the integrity of the NZRH system.
I am therefore refusing this part of your request under the fol owing sections of the Act:
• Section 9(2)(ba)(i ) to protect information which is subject to an obligation of
confidence or which any person has been or could be compel ed to provide under the
authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information would be
likely otherwise to damage the public interest; and
• Section 9(2)(g)(i) to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free
and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or
members of an organisation or officers and employees of any public service agency
or organisation in the course of their duty.
2) Also, any email, communication or memo regarding to these two action items as
well.
a) "Consider conducting stakeholder meetings with ethnic communities’
representatives, economic development stakeholders and leaders of large
national community organisations - December 2023."
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Stakeholder meetings were discussed at the Officials meeting on 29 January 2024, between
the Minister and the Ministry. The draft advice document
Proposed Minister’s engagement
with stakeholders was provided to the Minister at this meeting. This document is attached in
full.
b) "Consider and discuss hosting Parliamentary events including Chinese
New Year and Eid ul-Fitr next year - December 2023."
Potential Parliamentary events were discussed over several Official’s meetings between the
Minister and the Ministry. On 4 December 2023, the Minister confirmed that she stil wants
to hold Parliamentary events and Lunar New Year was proposed. On 23 January 2024,
planning logistics for the 2024 Lunar New Year Parliamentary event was discussed. On 29
January 2024, planning logistics for the Eid-al-Fitr Parliamentary event as discussed.
As required by section 9(1) of the OIA, I have considered whether the grounds for
withholding information under sections 9(2)(ba)(i ) and 9(2)(g)(i) of the OIA are outweighed
by other considerations which would make it desirable, in the public interest, to make that
information available. In this instance, I do not consider that to be the case.
Please note, due to the public interest in our work, the Ministry may publish responses to
requests for official information on our website, shortly after the response has been sent. If
you have any queries about this, please feel free to contact our Ministerial Services team:
[email address].
Ngā mihi
Edward Firth
Director of Ministerial Services
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