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Further to his answer to written question 20419 (2026): prior to media reporting on 24 May 2026, had his Chief of Staff had any discussions regarding the Smith v Fonterra case with any of his staff, if so, who?

Answered Question 28861 (2026)
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Asked by

Chris Hipkins

Member for Remutaka · Labour Party

Question

  • Further to his answer to written question 20419 (2026): prior to media reporting on 24 May 2026, had his Chief of Staff had any discussions regarding the Smith v Fonterra case with any of his staff, if so, who?

Answered by

Rt Hon Christopher Luxon

Member for Botany · National Party · Prime Minister

Answer

The Chief of Staff had brief conversations with my former Chief Policy Advisor on a small number of occasions across 2024 and 2025, asking the Chief Policy Advisor to check whether work was progressing on the issue as it was an area Ministers had indicated they were keen to progress in early 2024. Further the Chief of Staff also called the Senior Ministerial Advisor in Hon Goldsmith’s office around 23 October 2025, to check he was the correct person to forward the email received from Z Energy referred to in my reply to question 20419 (2026).