As courts warn about AI and deepfakes becoming problematic, New Zealand Police have been busy releasing official information. Just not the kind that addresses emerging threats.

This week, Police released 12 OIA responses through FYI.org.nz. Two of them were titled "Lounge access." Identically. Because apparently, one response about who gets into airport lounges wasn't enough. (Source: FYI.org.nz (OIA tracker), oia-recent-responses)

The other releases? Foreign officials' visits and gifts. Communications and approval processes. The Palmerston North fleet inventory. Nothing about how Police are handling AI-generated evidence. Nothing about deepfake detection protocols. Nothing about training officers to spot synthetic media in criminal cases.

This is the OIA system working exactly as designed: answering the questions people think to ask, while the questions we should be asking go unasked.

Here's what we know about those lounge access responses: they exist, they're titled the same thing, and they were both released this week. Here's what we don't know: why two separate requests needed answering, what the actual policy is, or whether this represents transparency or just paperwork compliance.

Meanwhile, zero responses addressed technology threats, digital evidence handling, or synthetic media protocols. The courts are worried. The technology is advancing. The official information being released is about who flies business class.

The pattern isn't new. Last week, we showed how the Privacy Commissioner refused to release data on tech threats. This week, it's Police releasing everything except what matters.

Foreign officials' gifts? Documented. Fleet vehicles in Manawatu? Catalogued. The protocols for handling AI-generated confessions, deepfaked alibis, or synthetic surveillance footage? Not part of this week's transparency drive.

You can browse every one of these OIA responses yourself at FYI.org.nz. You'll find careful documentation of ministerial communications. Detailed breakdowns of approval processes. Two separate responses about lounge access.

What you won't find: any indication that Police are preparing for the threat judges are already warning about.

The OIA isn't broken. It's working perfectly. It answers what gets asked. The problem is what's not being asked: how is law enforcement adapting to technology that can fabricate evidence, impersonate victims, or create alibis that look real?

While Tower Insurance expects weather claims to nearly halve their profits, and Canterbury residents question flood management decisions, Police are documenting lounge access policies.

This week gave us 12 OIA responses from Police. They told us about gifts, fleets, and airport lounges. They told us nothing about the technology crisis unfolding in courtrooms right now.

The information is being released. Just not the information that matters.