Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health) on behalf of the Associate Minister of Health: This morning, I have been advised the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency have filed further legal proceedings with the High Court on this matter. Accordingly, I am limited in what I can say related to an ongoing matter before the court. The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency—the commissioning agency—has asked for personally identifiable data for all people recorded as domicile in the North Island and identifying as Māori in the COVID-19 vaccine and immunisation programme's data set, specifically requesting data of Māori who have had no or only one vaccine dose. In the High Court's recent decision, the court accepted that the ministry must carefully weigh the public health need to maximise vaccinations against COVID-19 with its obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, as an agency in possession of personal information. In reconsidering the commissioning agency's request, in light of the High Court's judgment, I'm advised that the ministry has considered evidence provided by the commissioning agency, as well as a wide range of views from Māori leaders, Māori health experts, and representatives from Māori organisations, including iwi. I'm confident that the ministry has been carefully weighing its obligations in all respects. What is important to everyone is increasing Māori vaccination uptake. It's my expectation that Te Tiriti principles and the application of tikanga will result in appropriate data sharing. I expect that a way forward will be found, however, now the legal process must play out and discussions are ongoing. Regarding the legal cost associated with this matter, I'm advised that as at 27 October 2021, the Ministry of Health's external legal costs have been $72,174.26 exclusive of GST. A more recent figure is not available due to billing cycles. As Associate Minister of Health, I am only able to speak to the Ministry of Health's costs and not costs accrued by other Government agencies.