New Zealand Security Threat Environment Assessment ()

Key Chapter Title List

1. Opening Introduction (Scene Setting)
2. Foreign Interference
3. Espionage
4. Insider Threats
5. Violent Extremism and Terrorism
6. Resources and Protective Security Guidance
7. Research Methodology
8. National Security Concern Reporting Channels
9. Core Assessment Conclusions
10. Key Terminology Definitions
11. Threat Source Identification
12. New Zealand's Position in the Global Landscape

Document Introduction

As an open and democratic country, New Zealand provides its people with extensive rights and freedoms. However, the potential risks posed by national security threats cannot be overlooked. In recent years, intensified global strategic competition, turbulent geopolitical shifts, and the spillover effects of international hot-button issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Gaza situation have presented New Zealand's security environment with multiple complex challenges. This report, as the second edition of the annual unclassified assessment report released by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), aims to provide the public, institutions, and decision-makers with a comprehensive picture of the core security threats currently facing New Zealand.

The report's core focus is an in-depth analysis of four key threat areas: foreign interference, espionage, insider threats, and violent extremism and terrorism. Among these, foreign interference is considered a persistent concern, with some non-free nations employing deception, coercion, or corruption to exert influence and infiltrate New Zealand's communities, academia, media, private sector, and government agencies, attempting to shift New Zealand's values and interests. Espionage has re-emerged prominently against the backdrop of heightened strategic competition, with foreign intelligence agencies employing various methods, including cyber operations and offline recruitment, to steal New Zealand's sensitive political, diplomatic, commercial, and technological information.

The insider threats chapter is included in the assessment for the first time, focusing on security risks such as information leaks and resource sabotage caused by individuals in trusted positions within the public and private sectors, motivated by various factors. Regarding violent extremism and terrorism, the report notes that the possibility of attacks by self-radicalized lone actors remains. There are followers of identity-driven, faith-driven, and politically-driven extremist ideologies, and global conflicts are being exploited for online radicalization and recruitment activities. There is also an emerging trend of mixed and unstable ideological extremism.

This assessment is based on multiple credible sources, including intelligence collection and analysis from the New Zealand intelligence community, academic research, and media reporting. It was formed through multiple rounds of professional analytical meetings, maintaining a medium level of confidence in its conclusions. The report not only reveals the specific manifestations and case studies of threats but also provides practical protective security advice to help individuals and organizations identify and respond to potential risks. As a professional assessment independent of government policy, its core objective is to foster societal awareness and discussion of national security, promote collaborative participation in risk prevention from all parties, and safeguard the foundations of New Zealand's free and open democratic society.