We seek to detect espionage and foreign interference activity occurring in or against New Zealand, understand and assess the threats, and enable actions to be taken to counter them. This includes providing timely advice and intelligence reporting to other agencies and the New Zealand Government.
Espionage
Espionage poses an enduring threat to New Zealand’s interests. Espionage refers to clandestine activities undertaken to collect information, materials, or capability to obtain competitive advantage. We divide espionage into two major categories.
- State espionage targets New Zealand government entities for sensitive and protected information and capabilities, both in New Zealand and abroad.
- Economic espionage targets New Zealand’s commercial, research, and industrial entities for proprietary technology, research, and commercial information.
Foreign interference
Interference by foreign states poses a threat to New Zealand’s interests, including our country’s sovereignty, democratic integrity, and social cohesion. Foreign interference is an act by a foreign state, often acting through a proxy, that is intended to influence, disrupt or subvert New Zealand’s national interests by deceptive, corruptive or coercive means. Normal diplomatic activity, lobbying and other genuine, overt efforts to gain influence are not considered interference.
Only a small number of states engage in interference against New Zealand, but some do so persistently and with the potential for significant harm. The main targets of interference activities in New Zealand are our migrant and well-established communities who may be viewed as dissidents by a foreign state. We have also observed signs of interference efforts targeting our political, academic, media and business sectors.
Investigating espionage and foreign interference
We investigate specific instances of espionage and foreign interference activity, as well as monitoring and understanding the overall threat posed by different states to New Zealand. We also analyse emerging threats and evolving patterns in espionage and foreign interference. A particular focus is identifying and understanding the covert activities of foreign state actors operating in, or seeking to influence, New Zealand democratic institutions, decision-making, and processes.
We work with others
Our work enables us to provide comprehensive advice to government agencies about the threats to New Zealand’s interests in the dynamic geopolitical environment.
We also work with our international intelligence partners to share information and understand emerging international threats.