Funding, assumptions, and risk monitoring relating to COVID-19 vaccination policies

Official Information Act 1982 Request

To: The Treasury
From: Attorney acting under instruction of the Trustees
Re: Funding, assumptions, and risk monitoring relating to COVID-19 vaccination policies affecting maternity and neonatal care

I act as attorney under instruction of the trustees of a private trust with beneficiaries materially affected by COVID-19 response measures, including maternity and neonatal care settings.

This request does not seek a clinical determination, medical opinion, or causation finding. It seeks disclosure of funding decisions, assumptions relied upon, monitoring frameworks, and risk escalations within Treasury’s remit when public funds were authorised for COVID-19 vaccination policies and related enforcement mechanisms.

Information requested

1. Funding authorisations and appropriations

a. Appropriations, emergency funding, contingency funding, or fiscal envelopes approved for COVID-19 vaccination programmes, mandates, or implementation measures from 2020–2024.

b. Any funding decisions, contract variations, or financial arrangements where continued funding, access, or eligibility was contingent upon vaccination status, workforce vaccination thresholds, or compliance with vaccination policies.

c. Any funding or incentive arrangements involving employers, health providers, or service operators that referenced vaccination uptake or compliance metrics.

2. Assumptions and representations relied upon

a. Safety, risk, or efficacy representations provided to Treasury by the Ministry of Health, Health New Zealand, Medsafe, or other agencies relied upon when authorising or continuing funding.

b. Any advice or Cabinet material referencing pregnancy, fertility, maternity, neonatal outcomes, or placental considerations.

c. Any assurances asserting vaccination policies posed no material or acceptable risk to pregnant persons or neonates.

3. Monitoring, reporting, and escalation

a. Reports or briefings relating to adverse events, excess mortality, maternity outcomes, stillbirths, or neonatal outcomes.

b. Internal Treasury risk registers or fiscal risk assessments considering downstream liability or ACC exposure.

c. Records of risk escalations or internal concerns raised once policies were implemented.

4. Review or reassessment of funding decisions

a. Whether funding decisions were reviewed, paused, amended, or reaffirmed in response to emerging safety signals.

b. If no review occurred, documents recording the rationale.

Public interest and duty of candour

This request is made in the public interest. Treasury’s role in authorising and monitoring public expenditure carries a duty of candour where policies materially affected bodily autonomy, employment, access to services, and maternity and neonatal care.

Administrative matters

If any part of this request is refused, please identify the precise statutory ground relied upon and release any information that can reasonably be provided with redactions.

Tracy
Attorney acting under instruction of the Trustees