PM: No secret ‘official’ document

The Government is refusing to release a coalition document detailing further policy commitments between Labour and NZ First because it’s a work in progress and not ‘‘official’’.

The existence of a 38-page document was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters the day after the two parties signed a coalition agreement but the Government has since refused to release it.

Yesterday, in an article by Newsroom, an adviser to the prime minister said the document would not be released under the Official Information Act because Jacinda Ardern ‘‘does not hold any such official information’’.

When Peters first mentioned the paper, he described it as ‘‘a document of precision on various areas of policy commitment and development’’, which would also include the appointment process for diplomats and ‘‘directives to ministers’’.

Yesterday, both Ardern and Peters denied there was an ‘‘official’’ document to be released, other than the coalition agreement that had already been made available.

‘‘We did release the coalition agreement and we were very clear, both actually, on the ways that we would work together, but also on the agenda items that we, as two parties, have formally committed to – so in our minds we absolutely have made public those things that we’ve made commitments to,’’ said Ardern.

The pair said notes were made during negotiations, which included further work that could be done under the coalition agreement but wasn’t yet finalised.

‘‘Some issues will see the light of day and at that point we’ll make sure that people are absolutely clear that that was part of our conversation with NZ First but others may not,’’ Ardern said.

"In our minds, we absolutely have made public those things that we’ve made commitments to."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

‘‘There are constraints on us as a government, not least the financial constraints we’ve been left by the last Government, so there’s still a lot of work to be done.

‘‘There are other areas we may explore together that may be found to be unworkable, that may be found just to be fiscally irresponsible, that may never be progressed,’’ she added.

Peters drew on Moses and the

10 commandments to try to make his point, saying: ‘‘Moses came down from the mountain and only had 10 commandments, right? But there’s a lot in the Old Testament as well.’’

Ardern said she hadn’t had the

38-page document in front of her since the coalition talks.

When asked if it had directives for ministers, she avoided the question.

Peters said the suggestion this was a ‘‘secret agreement’’ was ‘‘demonstrably false’’.

However, National leader Bill English demanded the agreement be released, saying it was ‘‘ridiculous for the Government to claim either it doesn’t exist or somehow it’s not official information’’.

‘‘I think it’s remarkable the prime minister has decided the public should not know about the detailed negotiations between Labour and NZ First because clearly the public agreement is not one they take seriously.’’