5 March 2024
John Luke
[FYI request #25829 email]
REF: DOIA-2324-0638
Tēnā koe John
Your Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 21 February 2024 to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities (the
Ministry) requesting the fol owing information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act):
…May I kindly ask how do you select the invitee, do you have a list or how you know
who to invite? what is your selection process?
For clarity, this request relates to an article on the Ministry website titled
Parliament's first
Lunar New Year celebration spotlights cultural harmony and diversity, specifically to the
fol owing section:
"The event, attended by esteemed dignitaries, members of Parliament (MPs),
diplomatic corps, and community leaders, marked a significant milestone in
acknowledging the Lunar New Year's broader cultural significance."
The Minister for Ethnic Communities, Hon Melissa Lee, is the host for all Parliamentary
events including the Lunar New Year event in Parliament. The process for invitations to the
event is as follows:
1) The Ministry prepares an initial list of recommended attendees, based off an internal
data base and in accordance with criteria provided by the Minister.
2) A draft list of invitees is provided to the Minister for final approval. As the Minister
hosts this event, final confirmation/selection lies with the Minister.
3) Once confirmation has been obtained, official invitations are distributed.
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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