Over the past two years, a persistent claim has circulated online: that “11,000 vaccine exemptions were issued to politicians and elites in New Zealand.”
It is a compelling claim. It is also not supported by the official record.
This article examines what the Official Information Act (OIA) responses (The Health Forum) actually show.
The Origin of the “11,000” Figure
The figure of 11,005 exemptions originates from early reporting on Significant Service Disruption (SSD) exemptions issued under the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order.
However, a later OIA response from Health New Zealand (March 2024) corrected this number.
The figure of 11,005 workers was incorrect due to administrative data input errors.
The corrected figure is:
- 8,051 workers
- Across 102 granted SSD applications
This is the authoritative number.
What SSD Exemptions Actually Were
SSD exemptions were not general-purpose exemptions.
They had specific characteristics:
- Applied only to the health and disability sector
- Issued to an organisation, covering named workers
- Intended to prevent critical service disruption
- Valid for a short duration (7 days to 8 weeks)
- Work-only – they did not grant a My Vaccine Pass
These exemptions were a continuity mechanism, not a personal benefit.
What About Medical Exemptions?
Separate from SSD exemptions, individuals could apply for Temporary Medical Exemptions (TMEs).
An OIA response (HNZ00028251, September 2023) provides a breakdown of these:
- 8,259 applications received
- 6,410 exemptions granted
Under the original clinical criteria (V1.0), exemptions were granted for defined medical reasons, including:
- COVID-19 infection: 84
- Serious adverse event to previous dose: 58
- Unable to tolerate administration (risk to self/others): 47
- Myocarditis / Pericarditis: 43
- Inflammatory cardiac illness: 23
- Anaphylaxis: 11
- Acute decompensated heart failure: 5
- Vaccine trial participation (non-placebo): 414
Total (V1.0 criteria): 685
This shows that:
- Exemptions were issued based on specific clinical criteria
- “Had COVID” (infection-related deferral) was one category among several
- There was a formal approval framework, not discretionary allocation
Importantly, this dataset:
- does not include occupation
- therefore cannot support claims about exemptions being given to “politicians” or any specific group
Who Received Them?
The same OIA provides a breakdown of roles within District Health Board (DHB) applications:
- Nurse / Midwife: 1,984
- Care and Support: 1,103
- Administration / Management: 992
- Allied Health / Technical / Science: 787
- Doctor / Surgeon / Registrar / Consultant: 350
Subtotal (DHB): 5,216
Non-DHB applications accounted for the remaining 2,835, giving the total of 8,051.
This distribution is consistent with frontline service delivery roles, not political or executive cohorts.
Were Politicians or “Elites” Included?
The same OIA addresses this directly.
It states:
- No SSD exemptions were granted to government agencies or departments
- None were granted to DPMC employees or government Ministers
Members of Parliament (MPs) were not part of the SSD framework.
Separately:
- MPs were not mandated in the same way as employees under the Vaccinations Order
- Where exemptions existed for individuals, they were processed through the Temporary Medical Exemption (TME) pathway
- The TME system did not record employment information, meaning it cannot be used to identify occupational groups
There is no OIA evidence showing a pool of exemptions allocated to “politicians” or “elites.”
What About the “11,000 for Politicians” Narrative?
This claim appears to arise from:
- Use of the incorrect 11,005 figure
- Conflation of SSD exemptions with personal medical exemptions
- Assumptions about who might have benefited, without supporting data
The official record does not support the claim.
Instead, it shows:
- A corrected total of 8,051
- Issued to health and disability sector workers
- For short-term operational continuity
- With no allocation to Ministers, DPMC, or government agencies
Context: Why These Exemptions Existed
The OIA describes SSD exemptions as a mechanism to:
prevent significant disruption to health services where staffing shortages would impact care delivery
They were, in effect, a risk trade-off:
- Short-term continuation of unvaccinated staff
- Versus immediate loss of critical services
They were not:
- Permanent exemptions
- General population exemptions
- Privileges granted to political or elite groups
Conclusion
The claim that “11,000 exemptions were given to politicians and elites” is not supported by OIA evidence.
The official record shows:
- The 11,005 figure was incorrect
- The corrected total is 8,051
- These were sector-specific, short-term, work-only exemptions
- None were issued to Ministers, DPMC, or government agencies
What remains is a clear example of how:
- an incorrect figure,
- combined with category confusion,
- can evolve into a widely repeated but unsupported claim.
📊 Exemptions in NZ: What the Data Actually Shows
1. Significant Service Disruption (SSD) Exemptions
Purpose: Keep health services running
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Total (corrected) | 8,051 workers |
| Earlier reported | 11,005 (data error) |
| Sector | Health & Disability only |
| Duration | 7 days – 8 weeks |
| Type | Work-only (no Vaccine Pass) |
| Issued to | Organisations (not individuals directly) |
| Govt / Ministers | None |
Typical roles included:
- Nurses / Midwives: 1,984
- Care & Support: 1,103
- Admin / Management: 992
- Allied Health: 787
- Doctors / Specialists: 350
➡️ Function: Prevent hospital/service collapse
➡️ Not: A personal exemption system
2. Temporary Medical Exemptions (TME)
Purpose: Clinical safety
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Applications | 8,259 |
| Granted | 6,410 |
| Basis | Clinical criteria |
Examples of approved reasons:
- COVID-19 infection: 84
- Serious adverse reaction: 58
- Myocarditis / Pericarditis: 43
- Anaphylaxis: 11
- Cardiac conditions (various): 28+
- Vaccine trial participants: 414
➡️ Function: Medical safety
➡️ Not tracked: Occupation (no “politician” category possible)
3. The Missing Category
| Claimed Category | Exists in Data? |
|---|---|
| Politicians | ❌ No |
| “Elite” | ❌ No |
| Government carve-out | ❌ No |
🔍 The Reality
| Claim | What the Data Shows |
|---|---|
| “11,000 exemptions” | ❌ Incorrect → 8,051 SSD |
| “Given to elites” | ❌ No evidence |
| “Secret privileges” | ❌ Structured, documented systems |
| “Same exemption type” | ❌ Two completely different systems (SSD vs TME) |
