Since the beginning of the ‘Covid Era’, the New Zealand public, many of whom were awake to the attack on our freedom and rights that lay at the heart of Jacinda Ardern’s ‘Covid Response’, have shouted from the rooftops for the New Zealand version of the Pfizer contract to be released.
Those shouts have consistently been met with silence.
This Pfizer contract, had it been released to the public, would have cleared away all of the speculation about what was signed on behalf of the People of New Zealand, by the tyrannical government of Ardern, Grant Roberston, Chris Hipkins and others in the corrupt Labour regime.
Sadly, many of us realised this crucial contract would not be easily forthcoming via the Official Information Act (OIA) process. However the pathway that leads to Judicial Review involves following the protocols of the Official Information Act 1982.
The Albanian Pfizer contract was leaked, the Canadian Pfizer contract released (albeit heavily redacted) via the court process, and the South African contract was released also through the judicial system. Read the un-redacted South African contract here.
A discussion about the process of the release in South Africa is useful for a full understanding.
Comparing the released Pfizer contracts above, we now know that they are very similar in content, apart from the monetary values for each. To describe the content as shocking, is to understate the raw truth. They all involve signing away the country’s sovereignty. In addition, Pfizer is given zero liability for any harms from this experimental product.
In getting the New Zealand Pfizer contract released, we will be asking whether Labour has signed away New Zealand’s sovereignty and whether Ardern has also given Pfizer an indemnity from being held liable for injury or death of New Zealanders caused by their experimental product.
Given the obvious risk to the public of those countries from the Pfizer contract, it becomes patently clear that every New Zealander should demand to see the contents of our Pfizer contract. There is no doubt that the devil is in the detail.
Erika Whittome reached out for help from New Zealanders who were willing to support her in getting this issue into court. Like her, I felt this was potentially the only way that the Pfizer contract would be released to the People of New Zealand.
In saying that, neither of us expected the court to allow this to be a walk in the park. Over the last Covid years, many New Zealanders have become concerned at evidence of corruptions within our judicial system, wherein laws which are supposed to protect the People, are instead being used against us, in what has come to be known as ‘Lawfare’. We have more than a few barriers to overcome. We will continue, undeterred, the push to get this over the judicial line.
However, we need the help of as many New Zealanders as possible, to counter the claim that the court has made, in rejecting our application to file the necessary documents. And what is their reason? The Court maintains that this application for release of the New Zealand Pfizer contract, holds ‘No Public Interest’!
We beg to differ in the strongest of terms.
With enough New Zealanders getting behind this, we trust that Justice will prevail in the end.
We are doing our part with long hours of hard work, and now we ask you to play your part.
It’s therefore useful that I briefly summarise the process thus far with seeking release of the Pfizer contract here in New Zealand.
Our Most Recent Action:
Auckland High Court [2024] NZHC 1840, 8 July 2024: The release of the Covid-19 contract between Pfizer and the NZ Government was declined for a second timeby Justice Whata.
Plaintiffs:
1/ Erika Whittome
2/ John Armstrong
3/ Chris McCashin
Respondents:
1/ The Minister of Health
2/ The Ombudsman
3/ The Minister of Finance
4/ The Minister for Covid-19 Response
Background:
1/ 4 April 2024: First application filed at High Court seeking judicial review: Release the Pfizer contract.
2/ 15 April 2024: First filing, declined fee waiver by Deputy Registrar, David Slight, who asserts that this “(did) not meet the criteria for determining when a proceeding concerns a matter of genuine public interest”.
3/ 14 May 2024: Filing second application at High Court – Auckland, reference: CIV2024-404-845, Application for Judicial Review: Release the Pfizer contract.
4/ 8 July 2024: Second filing, judgement by Justice Whata: [2024] NZHC 1840, because “(this) case does not determine genuine public interest and thus no question of law”.
Read the Judgement by Justice Whata, 8 July 2024.
Mr. Justice Whata neither acknowledged nor rebutted the case law which we cited at item 17 of our Application, when the Trade Minister was challenged to reveal the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in 2015, the case of Kelsey v Minister of Trade [2015] NZHC 2497 concluded:
“The Crown has entered into an international confidentiality agreement with other negotiating state parties. This cannot override the domestic legal effect of the (Official Information) Act (1982)”.
This decision led to the public release of the TPPA.
In the case of the New Zealand Pfizer contract, a crucial question is left unanswered: Why was a key point about this case law neither acknowledged nor rebutted? Further, what differentiates our case for the Pfizer contract, where many New Zealanders wish to know its contents, from the same situation in Kelsey v Minister of Trade, where many New Zealanders wanted to understand the far-reaching effects of the TPPA?
Mr Justice Whata claimed that there was no public interest in the release of the Pfizer contract. With respect, that claim is absurd. We have evidence that the Ombudsman received so many public complaints about the lack of transparency around the signing of the Pfizer contract, that they were required to publish a notice on their website, which you can see here: https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/resources/chief-ombudsmans-opinion-oia-complaints-about-refusal-covid-19-vaccine-contracts
How Can You Help With This Impasse?
We obviously need to show the court that there is vast public interest in the release of the Pfizer contract.
The easiest and most transparent way of achieving this, is through an Official Information Act (OIA) request on the FYI website. Therefore I ask you, to help us, and to get others to help us, by:
Step 1:
Register at: https://fyi.org.nz/
Step 2:
Make a request through FYI.org.nz, in an OIA request, ask the Ministry of Health for the un-redacted Pfizer Contract.
Step 3:
Once your OIA has been submitted, please urgently email the link to me at this address: [email protected]. It will then be collated, along with all the other requests, to file for a Third time at the court, to give them proof that there is a substantive public interest in releasing the Pfizer contract.
Footnote: The OIA is the crucial part from all of you. However, if you are able to assist with step 4 (below) then it will help us with the cost of filing and being able to take on more OIA’s on behalf of the public of New Zealand.
Step 4:
The third filing is going to cost us $550, and it would be of great assistance to our ability to pay the required fees if you could afford to donate towards this cost.
We are talking 5-6 minutes of your time in completing the OIA, plus a donation and you will OWN a share of this historic filing.
John has provided the following account details for donation towards the filing cost:
Name: G B ARMSTRONG
Account: 38-9017-0772606-01
Bank: Kiwibank
Two useful references & resources:
2/ A Request that the Finance Minister give an indemnity to Pfizer.
You, the People of New Zealand, have the power to influence the release of this thus-far-withheld Pfizer contract.
With enough uptake from every one of you in this call to action, the New Zealand judicial system will be forced to acknowledge that there is indeed a great Public Interest. We trust that the court will then act in response to the will of the People who are seeking a fair and equitable outcome.
Let’s bring this contract out into the open – together!
Standing in Truth,
John Armstrong