Written questions

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35418 (2026), what current or prospective New Zealand candidacies for election or appointment to United Nations or other multilateral bodies exist, and has any partner or interlocutor raised New Zealand's abstention of 24…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35418 (2026), who decided that an assessment of the reputational implications of the abstention "is not needed", and was that decision taken by him, by his office, or by officials?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35426 (2026), what response, if any, did the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights convey to the New Zealand Mission in Geneva on 28 July 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35419 (2026), how did Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the member states of the European Union each vote on the resolution of 24 July 2026 to reappoint Volker Türk, and how many states in total abstained?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35424 (2026), was the Prime Minister, the Office of the Prime Minister, or the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet informed of the abstention; if so, on what date and by whom?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35435 (2026), was the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, or any other Minister, available to be consulted on the morning of Saturday 25 July 2026 (NZT), and was any attempt made to contact any Minister before the decision…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35434 (2026), does any threshold, criterion, or guidance govern when a change in voting position requires ministerial consultation rather than decision by officials alone; if not, does he consider such guidance desirable?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35434 (2026), is the process described, consultation between the Permanent Mission and Wellington officials where material facts emerge after instructions issue, recorded in any manual, standing instruction, or written…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35431 (2026), on how many occasions since 1 January 2016 has New Zealand's voting position on a United Nations General Assembly resolution changed between the issuing of written voting instructions and the casting of the…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35338 (2026), on what date did his conversation with the Prime Minister about the remarks of 29 July 2026 take place, and was it before or after question time on 5 August 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35341 (2026), does any written record exist of the communication between the senior MFAT secondees prior to question time on 5 August 2026?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35341 (2026), did the senior MFAT secondee in DPMC convey the substance of that communication to any member of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Prime Minister's Office, or the Prime Minister's staff…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35341 (2026), what prompted the communication between the senior MFAT secondees in OMFA and DPMC prior to question time on 5 August 2026, including whether it was prompted by the lodging or anticipation of oral questions…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35341 (2026), on what date and at what time did the senior MFAT secondees in OMFA and DPMC communicate about this matter prior to question time on 5 August 2026, and was that the first communication between them on this…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35396 (2026), at what time on 30 July 2026 did the senior MFAT secondees in DPMC and MFAT discuss this matter, and was that discussion oral or in writing?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35409 (2026), at what time on 30 July 2026 was he informed of the representations by the senior MFAT secondee in his office, and was that before or after the discussion between the senior MFAT secondees in OMFA and DPMC…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35402 (2026), at what time on 30 July 2026 was the email by the Unit Manager of the North Asia Division sent, and at what time was it received by, or its contents conveyed to, the senior MFAT secondee in his office?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35408 (2026), how is the reply that there was "one conversation between MFAT and the Chinese Embassy on this matter" to be reconciled with the two telephone calls disclosed in replies 35384 and 35391 (2026), and will he…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35368 (2026), has any head of mission or diplomat of any country other than the People's Republic of China raised the remarks of 29 July 2026, or the state of the New Zealand–China relationship, with him, his office, or…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35384 (2026), has any Chinese authority raised the remarks of 29 July 2026 with any New Zealand Government agency other than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including but not limited to the Department of the…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35384 (2026), on how many occasions in total, as at the date of this reply, has any representative or organ of the Government of the People's Republic of China raised the remarks of 29 July 2026 with any representative or…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35356 (2026), has any New Zealand exporter, education provider, tourism operator, or business association raised concerns with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, or Education New…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35364 (2026), on what date does he expect to next meet or speak with the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, and when did he last do so?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35362 (2026), what engagements between New Zealand and Chinese officials at any level have taken place since 31 July 2026, whether in Wellington, Beijing, or third countries, and was the matter of the remarks of 29 July…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35363 (2026), what meetings, calls, visits, or engagements between New Zealand and Chinese Ministers or senior officials are currently scheduled or under discussion for the remainder of 2026, and has the scheduling of any…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35364 (2026), has the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing reported any change since 29 July 2026 in its access to Chinese Government interlocutors, including any declined, deferred, or downgraded meetings?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35381 (2026), does he intend to travel to the People's Republic of China during the remainder of 2026; was any such travel under consideration or discussion before 29 July 2026; and has its status changed since that date?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35360 (2026), has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade prepared any assessment of the consequences of the remarks of 29 July 2026 for its own purposes, whether or not provided to him?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35387 (2026), what reporting, if any, has the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing provided since 31 July 2026 on Chinese Government, Chinese state media, or Chinese social media reaction to the remarks of 29 July 2026, listed…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35353 (2026), has he instructed, indicated, or suggested to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, directly or through his office, that advice on the diplomatic, trade, or reputational consequences of the remarks of 29…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35360 (2026), has he, at any time since 5 August 2026, sought or received any advice, assessment, or reporting from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the state of the New Zealand–China relationship; if so, on…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35373 (2026), were the communications from his office to MFAT on 30 and 31 July 2026 made orally or in writing?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35378 (2026), on what basis did his office instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to refer media inquiries about remarks he made as Leader of New Zealand First to his ministerial office, and were any such…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35398 (2026), who decided that he would not be consulted on New Zealand's handling of the representations, and does he consider it appropriate that New Zealand's response to formal representations from a foreign government…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35397 (2026), did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade provide any advice, or express any view, on the appropriateness or diplomatic implications of remaining in "listening mode" rather than responding; if so, what…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35397 (2026), is the instruction to be in "listening mode" still in force; if so, until when, and in what circumstances would the Ministry be permitted to convey a substantive response to the Chinese Government on this…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35397 (2026), given his position that the remarks of 29 July 2026 were made as Leader of New Zealand First and not as Minister of Foreign Affairs, on what basis did his ministerial office instruct the Ministry of Foreign…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35397 (2026), do any contemporaneous records of the instruction to be in "listening mode" exist?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35397 (2026), did he personally approve, direct, or have knowledge of the instruction to be in "listening mode" before it was given; if not, on what authority did his office issue it?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35397 (2026), on what date and at what time did his office instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to be in "listening mode", who in his office gave that instruction, and to whom in the Ministry was it given?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35445 (2026), at what time (in both New York time and New Zealand time) were the voting instructions issued, and how many hours elapsed between the issuing of instructions and the vote?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35429 (2026), how is the conclusion that "no changes appear to be necessary" to be reconciled with the concession that the information "would ideally have been available to relevant officials earlier", and what change…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35425 (2026), given the abstention was explained to partners and to the Office of the High Commissioner in subsequent days, why was a written explanation of vote not delivered after the vote, as General Assembly practice…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35424 (2026), why was he not briefed until Monday 27 July 2026 when his office was informed on Saturday 25 July 2026, and did he attempt to obtain further information over that weekend?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35423 (2026), if voting instructions do not constitute advice to him, what category of decision does he consider New Zealand's voting position at the United Nations General Assembly to be, and who is accountable to…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35912 (2026), does he consider it appropriate that New Zealand's vote on a United Nations General Assembly resolution was changed by officials without any ministerial consultation; if so, why?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35447 (2026), under what authority did MFAT officials reverse the voting position set out in written instructions signed out at management level, without consulting the Minister, the Acting Minister, or any Minister?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35435 (2026), at what level of seniority were the MFAT officials in Wellington who took the decision to abstain, and did that decision involve the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a Deputy Secretary, or a divisional…

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35427 (2026), which partners were informed, and were Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom among them; how did each of those countries vote on the resolution?

Asked by

Vanushi Walters

List MP · Labour Party

• Further to reply 35427 (2026), were the "process" reasons conveyed to partners the same as, or different from, the additional information that prompted the abstention?