50666 (2025). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health

50666 (2025). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health: On what date(s) and in what forum(s), if any, (including media statements, press releases, speeches, or public social media posts) has the Minister personally commented on surgical mesh, the experiences of affected consumers, or the regulatory and policy responses to mesh-related harms; if none, why not?

Hon Casey Costello: As Associate Minister of Health, I regularly engage with Cabinet and Caucus colleagues, members of the public, media, advocates, and health industry representatives, both formally and informally about many topics, including in relation to surgical mesh. A central record of each of these engagements is not held. However, I refer the Member to my Ministerial diary, which is proactively released here: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/hon-casey-costello. I believe the Member is capable of conducting a search for any publicly-available examples of media statements, press releases, speeches, or public social media posts. Accordingly, and in line with Speaker’s Ruling 210-6, I consider that the time, and hence the expense, of conducting a search for information in the public domain, on the Member's behalf, is not in the public interest.