133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
17 July 2024
Catherine Jamieson
By email: [FYI request #27390 email]
Ref:
H2024045192
Tēnā koe Catherine
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 26 June 2024. Each part of your request is responded
to below:
Official Information request - CV-TAG Minutes 27 January 2021
PART 1:
Please provide the above minutes and if there were any earlier meetings, minutes of
those too.
Please check that the response is minutes of CV-TAG not CTAG, that any links provided
actually link to the requested information or that any material referenced includes the
meeting minutes for the requested date(s).
Please find attached as document 1, the minutes for the 27 January 2021 COVID-19 Vaccine
Strategy Science and Technical Advisory Group (STAG). Where information is withheld under
section 9 of the Act, I have considered the countervailing public interest in release in making
this decision and consider that it does not outweigh the need to withhold at this time.
Please note these minutes are from a group established by the Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment that was called the STAG (Science and Technical Advisory Group). This group
met on a number of occasions prior to the responsibility for vaccine technical advice moving to
the Ministry of Health where it was renamed the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group (CV
TAG). There were no other Ministry of Health meetings regarding advice on COVID-19 vaccines
prior to the establishment of CV TAG.
You may be interested in further information the CV TAG provided in terms of science advice
and recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccinations. All relevant memos and advice
has been published on the Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora website here:
www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/corporate-information/about-us/expert-groups/covid-19-vaccine-
technical-advisory-group-cv-tag/.
PART 2:
Ministry of Health (2022, July). Tikanga Whakahaere - Ministry of Health Operating Model.
Please provide a copy of the above as referred to in footnote 4 page 13 of
https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/27-november-mac-high-level-
assessment.pdf”
The document referred to above is attached as document 2. Please note this document is now
out of date and wil be refreshed later this year.
I trust this information fulfils your request. If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with
us, including this decision, please feel free to contact the OIA Services Team on:
[email address].
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
Dr Andrew Old
Deputy Director-General
Public Health Agency | Te Pou Hauora Tūmatanui
Page 2 of 3
Appendix 1: List of documents for release
#
Date
Document details
Decision on release
1
27 January 2021
STAG Meeting Minutes
Some information withheld
under section
• 9(2)(a) of the Act for
privacy of natural
persons.
• 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act
where its release
would likely
unreasonably prejudice
the commercial
position of the person
who supplied the
information.
2
July 2022
Ministry of Health Tikanga
Released in Full.
Whakahaere Operating Model
Page 3 of 3
