Request for communications referencing Smith v Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd

Details of the request

Kia ora,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information:

All communications (including but not limited to emails, text messages, WhatsApp/Signal messages, briefings, memos, handwritten notes, and attachments) from 1 January 2022 that:

• Refer to or mention the legal case brought by Mike Smith (Ngāpuhi) concerning climate change and alleged harm from greenhouse gas emissions; and/or
• Refer to or mention climate litigation involving major New Zealand companies, including but not limited to fuel companies Z Energy and Channel Infrastructure, power and gas company Genesis Energy, NZ Steel, coal company BT Mining, Dairy Holdings and dairy exporter Fonterra, in relation to that case.

This request includes communications sent or received by:

• Staff at the Ministry for the Environment
• paul.goldsmith@parliament.govt.nz
• simon.watts@parliament.govt.nz

It also includes:

• Ministerial email accounts
• Staff/advisor communications on their behalf
• Work-issued mobile phone communications, including SMS and messaging apps (where stored or retrievable)
• Communications with industry groups (e.g. dairy, mining, energy sectors), lobbyists or consultants, and other Ministers or agencies
• Also, briefings or advice prepared for Ministers relating to the litigation
• I request the information in electronic form, preferably as searchable PDFs or original email format where practical.
• Please include metadata (dates, sender, recipient, subject lines) where available.
• 1 January 2022 to the date of this request today 20 May 2026.

Released documents

1. Excerpt - Environment and Climate Change Weekly Updates for week of 16 March 2020 (PDF, 33KB)
2. Treaty Impact Analysis Template National Planning Framework (NPF) (PDF, 172KB)
3. Email RE: Smith v Fonterra - A Parliamentary Response (PDF, 239KB)
4. CORM-2100 (PDF, 35KB)
5. Excerpt - Internal memo - Responses to questions from MfE (NCA amendments) (PDF, 161KB)
6. Excerpt - Horizon Scan 2023 - Te Pūrengi final report (PDF, 141KB)
7. Human Rights Commission letter to the Ministers for the Environment and Climate Change (PDF, 206KB)
8. Memo: Court Decisions – Talking Points and Q&A (PDF, 214KB)
9. Email RE: this week milestones (PDF, 195KB)
10. Email RE: Summary of Supreme Court decision in Smith v Fonterra and implications (PDF, 298KB)
11. Email FW: Smith Decision (PDF, 259KB)
12. 1.53.v1 - Climate Change Response (Removal of Tort and Other Claims) Amendment Act 2024 (PDF, 109KB)
13. Email - Ministry's proposed response - RE_ Smith v Fonterra - A Parliamentary Response (PDF, 316KB)
14. Email FW Climate Action (PDF, 211KB)
15. Email - BRF 4648 - Options for responding to Smith v Fonterra Litigation (PDF, 181KB)
16. Email FW: CA404/2022 Michael John Smith v Attorney-General (PDF, 239KB)
17. Email - CORM-3702 (PDF, 283KB)
18. CORM-3702 Tort law submission C Luxon 250401 (PDF, 130KB)
19. Draft response to correspondence - CORM-3702 (PDF, 324KB)
20. CORM-2278 (PDF, 248KB)
21. BRF-4465: Next Steps in responding to Attorney-General request re Smith v Fonterra and BRF-4648 - Options for responding to Smith v Fonterra Litigation

oia@mfe.govt.nz