The Government is still waiting on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to provide advice on whether to designate the political wing of Hamas a terrorist organisation - advice that was requested back in October last year.

Shortly after the terror attacks on October 7, former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins asked MFAT for official advice as to whether the designation should be made. On October 26, an MFAT spokesperson told ZB Plus that the interagency Terrorist Designations Working Group had started work on the issue and that the advice would be presented to the new Government.

"A thorough due diligence process is required to ensure all the strict legal tests and criteria are met before an entity can be designated under the Terrorism Suppression Act," the spokesperson said.

Government sources confirmed to ZB Plus in December that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon would not be expected to be given any such advice until the new year.

Now at the end of January, MFAT confirmed in a statement to ZB Plus that officials were continuing to progress advice on designating the entirety of Hamas as a terrorist organisation through the New Zealand Terrorist Designations Working Group.

"New Zealand designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist organisation in 2010 and has consistently renewed this, most recently in August 2022. Designations are made under our Terrorism Suppression Act 2002," an MFAT spokesperson said in a statement this afternoon.

Controversy surrounded the previous Government's response to the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.

An Official Information Act document revealed that MFAT's Middle East and Africa Division briefed the Department of the Prime Minister, Cabinet and then-Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s office at 9pm on the day of the attacks.

The division’s email suggested talking points for the minister and Prime Minister and a draft tweet to be sent by Mahuta.

The draft tweet read: "Aotearoa New Zealand unequivocally condemns rocket and terror attacks from Gaza into Israel and calls for their immediate cessation".

However, a summary of events in the OIA response stated that Mahuta's office “disagreed with the wording of the draft tweet”.

Mahuta's X post on the morning of October 8 stated that New Zealand was "deeply concerned at the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Gaza", before calling for an immediate cessation of violence and the protection of all civilians.

Later that day Mahuta clarified New Zealand's position with a second X post that stated: "New Zealand utterly condemns the terrorist attacks led by Hamas on Israel and continues to urge restraint from all parties in the region in order to prevent the further loss of civilian lives."