Cabinet papers are usually first considered by a Cabinet committee, with the decisions then confirmed by Cabinet. However, sometimes a paper may need to be submitted directly to Cabinet for consideration for matters that are particularly urgent or sensitive, or due to other exceptional circumstances.
If a Minister wishes to submit a paper directly to Cabinet, the prior agreement of the Prime Minister must be obtained. To lodge a request to submit a paper directly to Cabinet, the Minister’s office (with the approval of the Minister or Ministers if the paper is being submitted in the name of more than one) should email the Cabinet Office at [email protected] before the 10am Thursday lodgment deadline, or as soon as possible afterwards. The form below should be copied into the email, and all relevant sections completed.
A separate late lodgement form does not need to be submitted even if the paper is expected to be lodged late, as the Direct to Cabinet form below includes the relevant late paper information.
The final version of the paper should still be lodged through CabNet (or in hard copy if the paper is classified as Confidential or above, or includes a Special Handling or New Zealand Eyes Only endorsement) by 10am on the Thursday before the meeting, pending advice from the Cabinet Office on whether the paper will be accepted for the agenda. The Cabinet Office will inform the Minister’s office if it has not been accepted, and discuss next steps.
See the following link for more information on off-CabNet processes if the paper meets the classification requirements mentioned above.
Note that Direct to Cabinet request forms do not need to be submitted for Minister’s overseas travel papers, as these are only considered by Cabinet and not Cabinet committees.