30 July 2024
Jacob
[FYI request #26540 email]
Ref: PMO OIA 237-2023-24
Dear Jacob
Official Information Act request: Various documents 4-20 June
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 22 July 2024.
Your refined request is as follows:
I acknowledge the difficulty of locating texts from that specific day across a number of
different contacts which may potentially have texts in scope. Could I please refine my
request to texts with the Chief of Staff Cameron Burrows, any Senior Press Secretary
and any Senior Ministerial Advisor. Reiterating again that is only for the date of 1 March
2024.
Two text messages are relevant to your refined request and were between the Rt Hon Prime
Minister Luxon and me. One text message was a media enquiry being forwarded on and the
other discussed an employment matter.
Both texts are withheld in full under the following sections of the Act:
• section 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of individuals
• section 9(2)(ba)(i), protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence.
In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of
the Act. No public interest has been identified that would be sufficient to outweigh the
reasons for withholding that information.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
Yours sincerely
Cameron Burrows
Chief of Staff