9 February 2024
Gaye Gardner
[FYI request #25527 email]
Tēnā koe Gaye
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00036593
Thank you for your online request on 25 January 2024, asking for the following which has
been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Please see outlined below
a response to your request.
My OIA request is for covid-19 vax status for public figures encouraging and
recommending others to be protected.
Siouxsie Wiles
Ashley Bloomfield
Michael Baker
Information regarding COVID-19 vaccinations are recorded in the COVID Immunisation Register
(CIR). Access to the CIR is limited to those with logon access rights. These people may include
those involved in administering the vaccine, people who conduct contact tracing, and health
professionals such as your family doctor, nurse or midwife.
A person's vaccination status is personal information and so falls under the protections laid out in
the Privacy Act 2020. Therefore, I am refusing your request under section 49 (1)(a)(i i)(B) of the
Privacy Act, and section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act 1982, to protect their privacy.
The need to protect the privacy of these individuals is not outweighed by the public interest in the
release of this information.
As the individuals you have mentioned were public figures during the COVID-19 pandemic,
you may find they have already shared this information publicly on a variety of social media
platforms.
We have identified the fol owing publicly available link which provides information regarding
Ashley Bloomfield’s vaccination status, which may be of interest to you.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/449711/dr-ashley-bloomfield-receives-first-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[Health New Zealand request email].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Te Whatu Ora may
proactively release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name
and contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager – Government Services (OIAs)
Office of the Chief Executive
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand