15 April 2024
File Ref: 240263
Erika Whittome
[FYI request #25876 email]
Dear Erika
Thank you for your Official Information Act request received on 4 April 2024. You requested:
1. Would you please share the minutes, emails and any correspondence and policy documents for
the creation of template letters you supplied to organizations in 2021/2022 for an employer to
terminate an employee due to their vaccination status?
2. Kindly also share the template letters themselves you shared with organizations or businesses
for example, all letters template covering the following topics: "Notice of Termination of
Employment", "Mandatory Vaccine Order – Notice of termination of your employment",
"Termination letter", "Proposal to Terminate Employment ", "Requirement to Stand Down (from
Work) ", "Invitation to Meeting to discuss vaccination status" , "Invitation to attend a meeting
regarding the Public Health order that affects your current role/ tasks" , "Public health order
outcome order - Confirmation of variation of tasks". Please note that your template letters may not
have the same names as I have listed above, but I am sure you get my drift on the kinds of letters
I am requesting which you supplied businesses, organizations and other crown entities eg to the
Ministry of Education etc.
3. Please include any legal discussions and legal advice for the creation and feedback on these
letters, especially when the advice refers to specific sections of the Health and Safety at Work Act
2015 and to specific sections of the Employment Relations Act 2000 as the basis for any of the
statements in the template letters.
Information not held
WorkSafe holds no information in scope of your request. Accordingly, your request is refused
under 18(g)(i) of the Official Information Act because WorkSafe does not hold the information
requested and I do not believe that the information requested is held by another public sector
agency or is connected more closely with the functions of another public sector agency.
This reply addresses the information you requested. You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
investigate and review my decision, and further information is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
If you require further assistance, please contact
[email address].
Yours sincerely
Neil Cook
Deputy Chief Executive – Strategy and Insights
PO Box 165, Wellington 6140