18 December 2024
DOIA24-216
Liam Hehir
[FYI request #29396 email] Tēnā koe Liam
I refer to your request received on 30 November 2024, which has been considered
under the Official Information Act 1982. You requested information about the decision
to deactivate the Manatū Taonga @NZHistory X/Twitter account.
On 3 December 2024, your request was refined to the following:
‘1. All formal advice and supporting documentation provided to leadership regarding
the decision to deactivate the @NZHistory Twitter account. For the purposes of this
request, “leadership” refers to the senior management team or any individuals or
groups who had the authority to make or approve the final decision.
2. Any internal risk assessments or analyses prepared by the Communications team
or other staff that discuss the impact of deactivating the @NZHistory Twitter account
(e.g., loss of audience reach, goodwill, or public trust).
3. Any communications or documentation to or from any person with authority over the
@NZHistory Twitter/X account referencing, in relation to the decision to deactivate the
@NZHistory account:
a. Elon Musk or his management of Twitter/X; or
b. the U.S. Presidential Election or related concerns about misinformation,
polarization, or hate speech,’
Information being released
Please find enclosed the following documents:
Item Date
Document Description
1
February 2024 Manatū Taonga social media channels and owners
[EXCERPT]
2
July 2024
Ministry for Culture and Heritage – social media channels
as at March 2018 [July 2024 update] [EXCERPT]
3
24 August
Social media channels review – memo to Te Kāhui
2024
Mataaho
Some information has been deleted where it is not within the scope of your request.
In instances where several consecutive pages are out of scope, we have provided you
with only the relevant pages rather than providing entire documents (see documents
marked ‘[EXCERPT]’.
As you will see from the documents released, the decision did not relate to either Elon
Musk or the US election but was rather to rationalise the number of social media
channels operated by Manatū Taonga. Reducing the number of channels will ensure
the Ministry has adequate resources to effectively manage its social media presence.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact
[Ministry for Culture and Heritage request email].
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available via
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Stacey Richardson
Pou Mataaho o Te Toi – Director, Office of the Secretary & Chief Executive
2
Document Outline
