The New Zealand government has kept mum on whether its guest and Malaysian deputy minister Edmund Santhara had received special treatment.

The matter was pursued by Wellington-based news organisation Stuff, which found that the New Zealand government was not forthcoming on Santhara's status in the country nor how long he waited for a quarantine spot.

The country's immigration department told Stuff that they were unable to provide any information on Santhara in the absence of a privacy waiver.

Similarly, a spokesperson for the business, innovation and employment ministry - which oversees quarantine facilities - said they...