New Zealand has refused to release a confidential government briefing paper that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters claims contains proposals for preferential visa treatment for Indian nationals under the proposed India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
According to a report by RNZ News, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford declined a request to disclose the document, saying it is being withheld to protect the confidentiality of advice provided by ministers and officials while policy decisions are still under consideration. She said the public interest in releasing the paper does not outweigh the need to maintain that confidentiality.
The document, titled Implementation of the India-NZ FTA: Detailed policy design and timelines, became the centre of a political dispute after Peters quoted from it in Parliament in June.
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Peters claimed the paper showed Stanford had approved immigration settings that would give Indian citizens preferential treatment compared with applicants from other countries. He also alleged officials had discussed not publicly announcing the changes because of concerns about how India might react.
Peters has opposed the immigration provisions linked to the India-New Zealand FTA since before they were announced. He has previously argued the proposed arrangements could lead to increased migration from India and reduce opportunities for New Zealanders. His party colleague Shane Jones also drew criticism after warning of a "butter chicken tsunami" while discussing migration.
The government has rejected Peters' interpretation of the document.
Trade Minister Todd McClay said Peters was wrong and should "stop promoting misinformation for the sake of gaining votes". Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also dismissed the allegations, saying it is "very normal" for immigration ministers to negotiate country-specific visa arrangements as part of free trade agreements.
Stanford said Peters' claims were "not helpful" for New Zealand's relationship with India and accused him of departing from normal government processes by making them public.
Despite the disagreement within the governing coalition, neither Peters nor Stanford has released the document.
Public broadcaster RNZ requested a copy under New Zealand's Official Information Act after Peters revealed its existence in Parliament. Stanford's office refused to release it in full.
"I do not consider that the withholding of this information is outweighed by public interest considerations in making the information available," Stanford wrote in her response.
RNZ has lodged a complaint with the ombudsman, arguing the document should be released so the public can assess the competing claims.
Stanford's office later clarified that the policy proposals remain under active consideration and are still classified as restricted. It said final decisions would be released publicly once made, although the briefing paper itself may not be published.
