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Foreign espionage in New Zealand

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Foreign espionage in New Zealand, while likely not as extensive as in many larger countries, has nevertheless taken place. The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), which has primary responsibility for counter-intelligence work, states that there are foreign intelligence agents working in New Zealand today.

Potential objectives

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New Zealand's relatively small population, economy, and military mean that espionage against New Zealand is unlikely to be a priority for foreign intelligence agencies. Nevertheless, the New Zealand government asserts that a limited amount of espionage does take place. Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer has stated that "it would be wrong to assume New Zealand was free from foreign threats [or] that New Zealand may be too small and unimportant to be of great interest to hostile foreign-intelligence organisations".[1]

One potential reason for foreign interest in New Zealand might be its close intelligence links with larger Western nations – as part of the Five Eyes alliance, New Zealand receives more information than it might otherwise be expected to hold. Foreign intelligence agencies might therefore see New Zealand as a "back door" into the intelligence worlds of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. At times, New Zealand's allies have expressed concerns about both Soviet and Chinese espionage and influence in New Zealand.[2][3][4]

Also of potential interest was New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation, which prompted a rift between New Zealand and the United States. Soviet defector Oleg Gordievsky alleges that the Soviet Union was interested in New Zealand's policy, and attempted to promote it in Europe, perhaps in the hope of weakening the United States' position in the Cold War nuclear arms race.[5][6] The Soviet Union was frequently accused of encouraging those elements in New Zealand which it saw as beneficial to its interests – the pro-Soviet Socialist Unity Party was one alleged beneficiary, as were certain militant trade unions.[7][8]

On occasion, foreign spies may be active in New Zealand for reasons not connected with the country itself – the French bombing of the Rainbow Warrior was aimed at Greenpeace rather than New Zealand.[9] China is also sometimes alleged to target New Zealand-based Chinese democracy activists and Falun Gong members more often than it targets the New Zealand government.[10][11]

It is alleged that New Zealand has been used as a "training ground" for other operations – it is a developed, English-speaking country, but was seen as less dangerous than more major targets.[5]

Activity

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Soviet Union/Russian Federation

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Throughout the Cold War, a number of people in New Zealand, both Soviet citizens and New Zealanders, were accused of working for Soviet intelligence agencies. Many were diplomats connected to the Soviet embassy in Wellington. The SIS was active in monitoring the activities of Soviet diplomatic personnel, conducting surveillance of the embassy compound and trailing vehicles which left it. Occasionally, diplomats were expelled on charges of espionage or interference in New Zealand political affairs.[12]

Among the expelled diplomats were Ambassador Vsevolod Sofinsky and embassy officials Sergei Budnik and Dmitri Razgovorov. Sofinsky and Budnik were both accused in the 1980s of giving covert assistance to the Socialist Unity Party, while Razgovorov was accused in 1975 of being an agent handler for local sources (notably Bill Sutch, below).[13][14] Later, in 1991, Anvar Kadyrov was expelled after illegally attempting to obtain a New Zealand passport.[15][16] The "Mitrokhin Archive" claims that many Soviet spies were active in New Zealand, possibly using it as a relatively "safe" training ground for activities in other English-speaking countries.[5]

Probably the best known New Zealander accused of being a foreign spy is Bill Sutch, a prominent diplomat and economic advisor. He was observed on several occasions meeting Dmitri Razgovorov, a Soviet diplomat, and in 1974, the SIS accused Sutch of passing information. He was acquitted in court the following year, and died shortly afterwards. The question of his guilt or innocence was, and still continues to be, a matter of considerable public debate.[17][18] Former NZSIS officer Kit Bennetts has maintained that Sutch was a Soviet intelligence asset.[19]

Another New Zealander accused of working for the Soviets was Paddy Costello, a senior diplomat – information from the Mitrokhin papers is the primary source of the allegations. He is sometimes cited as the reason Morris and Lona Cohen, both Soviet spies, were able to obtain New Zealand passports, although others claim the passports could easily have been obtained without assistance.[20] These accusations have been challenged by author James McNeish in The Sixth Man: The Extraordinary Life of Paddy Costello.[2][21]

In August 2023, an unclassified NZSIS threat assessment identified Russia as one of the three foreign state actors alongside China and Iran most responsible for foreign interference in New Zealand. According to the report, Russia spread disinformation among some New Zealanders through its international disinformation campaigns and sought to acquire new technologies in order to circumvent international sanctions imposed after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22][23]

China

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Further information: Chinese intelligence activity abroad

Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun, two former diplomats of the People's Republic of China who defected to Australia, have claimed that China undertakes substantial espionage work in New Zealand. The New Zealand government declined to comment, and the Chinese government denied the claims.[10][24][11]

In September 2017, the University of Canterbury political scientist Anne-Marie Brady alleged that the Chinese Communist Party was working with sympathetic elements within the Chinese diaspora community organisations and ethnic media including the New Zealand China Friendship Society and local chapters of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association as part of a united front strategy to advance Chinese "soft power" interests in New Zealand. Brady also alleged that National Party Member of Parliament (MP) Jian Yang and Labour Party MP Raymond Huo worked as pro-China influencers.[25][26][27] Yang attracted media attention and scrutiny over allegations that he trained Chinese intelligence officers while teaching at the Chinese Air Force Engineering College and the Luoyang People's Liberation Army University of Foreign Languages.[28][29][27][30] Huo and Yang subsequently resigned prior to the 2020 New Zealand general election after intelligence agencies raised concerns about the two MPs' connections to the Chinese Government with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the-then National Party leader Todd Muller.[31][32][33]

In November 2020, reporting by The New Zealand Herald revealed an individual known as "Mr H" who been sent to New Zealand in 1996 by Chinese public security bureau authorities to monitor Taiwanese and Falun Gong dissidents had failed to gain residency after having his application rejected after continuous attempts at gaining permanent residency for the past 23 years.[34]

In mid September 2020, the NZSIS confirmed that it was evaluating the "potential risks and security concerns" of the Chinese intelligence firm Zhenhua Data's "Overseas Key Individuals Database." The database had profiles on 730 New Zealanders including Prime Minister Ardern's mother Laurell, father Ross, sister Louse, several Cabinet ministers, former Prime Minister John Key's son Max, sportswoman Barbara Kendall, Māori leader Dame Naida Glavish, former Minister of Finance Ruth Richardson, and Chief Censor David Shanks. Zhenhua's database had been leaked to the American academic and China expert Professor Chris Balding, who passed the information to Australian cyber security firm Internet 2.0. The data leak was covered by several international media including the Australian Financial Review, the Washington Post, the Indian Express, the Globe and Mail, and Il Foglio.[35][36]

In late March 2021, the NZSIS's Director-General Rebecca Kitteridge confirmed that its agents had discovered a New Zealander who was gathering information for an unidentified foreign intelligence agency about individuals whom an unidentified foreign state regards as dissidents. Brady claimed that the spy had been working for China, stating that "foreign interference in New Zealand almost always means the activities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."[37]

In June 2021, Brady along with the University of Auckland political scientist Stephen Noakes and the Victoria University of Wellington historian Catherine Churchman alleged that the Chinese government was spying on their lectures, by sending individuals to attend, photograph and film lectures.[38] The Chinese Embassy dismissed claims that it was sending spies to infiltrate universities as "pure hearsay" while the Minister for Education Chris Hipkins advised universities and lecturers to inform the NZSIS if they have any concerns about espionage in their lecture halls.[39]

On 20 July 2021, Andrew Little, the Minister in charge of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), confirmed that the signals intelligence agency had established links between Chinese state-sponsored actors known as "Advanced Persistent Threat 40" (APT40) and malicious cyber activity in New Zealand. New Zealand joined the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union in condemning the Chinese Ministry of State Security and other Chinese state-sponsored actors for their involvement in the 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server data breach.[40][41] In response, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand lodged a "solemn representation" with the New Zealand Government.[42] The following day, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta confirmed that Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) officials had met with Chinese Embassy officials in response to the cyber attack allegations.[43]

In late October 2021, Immigration New Zealand denied a Chinese couple's residency application after the NZSIS designated them as a threat to national security due to their links to Chinese intelligence services. The NZSIS asserted that the husband and wife had "almost certainly" assisted Chinese intelligence services namely, China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) and deliberately concealed the amount of contact they had maintained with them. The couple had migrated to New Zealand in 2016 under the entrepreneur work visa scheme and established a business. The husband's lawyer stated that the man had maintained legitimate contact with Chinese intelligence services while working at a private company in China because he had helped employees to obtain visas to enter China for business purposes.[44]

In October 2022, the NZSIS detained and questioned a Chinese New Zealander named Yuan Zhao, who worked as a senior government analyst for the Public Service Commission (PSC), on suspicion of using his position to spy for the Chinese Government and because of his "close personal relationships" with Chinese diplomats based in New Zealand. Zhao was subsequently suspended from his job at the Commission in late 2022. In March 2023, Zhao denied supplying the Chinese Government with information and claimed the NZSIS had no evidence to substantiate the information. In response, the NZSIS and PSC declined to comment on Zhao's case, citing security protocols.[45] Yuan subsequently complained to the intelligence agency's watchdog, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Brendan Horsley, who confirmed his office was investigating Zhao's complaint. In response, the Chinese Embassy described the espionage allegations against Zhao as "ill-founded" and motivated by an "ulterior motive to smear and attack China, which we firmly oppose."[46]

In August 2023, the NZSIS published a threat assessment which identified China, Iran, and Russia as the foreign governments most responsible for foreign interference in New Zealand. According to the report, Chinese intelligence services were actively targeting ethnic Chinese communities in New Zealand.[22][23]

In July 2024, Christopher Luxon stated that he would publicly disclose cases of Chinese espionage in the country as part of a strategy to boost awareness of the security threat.[47] In September 2024, NZSIS stated in its annual threat report that "China remains a complex intelligence concern."[48]

Other countries

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In 1982 a group of exiled Albanians living in New Zealand, Italy and the USA attempted to infiltrate the Iron Curtain country of Albania. Their purpose was to assassinate the leader Enver Hoxha, and start a civil revolution from inside Albania. It has been said that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were financing the operation, as part of their undermining of the communist regime. From all accounts the mission was discovered by Albanian forces and all of the participants were killed in a fierce machine gun battle. The Prime Minister Robert Muldoon was questioned by the media when the story leaked that New Zealand citizens were involved. The story was quickly given a media gag by the government, NZSIS and police.[citation needed]

In 1985, agents of the DGSE, the primary foreign intelligence agency of France, bombed the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour. Most of the crew evacuated, but one person was killed. Two of the agents were captured, pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to prison. This remains the most well known incident of foreign spies working in New Zealand, and the only terrorist attack committed in New Zealand by a foreign government.[9][49]

In 2004, two Israeli citizens pleaded guilty to an illegal attempt to acquire a New Zealand passport, in a case similar to that of the Soviet Anvar Kadyrov. They were fined, given a short prison sentence, and finally deported. The government has claimed that the men were Mossad agents, although the Israeli government has not officially confirmed this. (A statement in 2005 appeared to contain a confirmation, but the Israeli government later said this was a misunderstanding).[50][51]

In December 2010, leaked US diplomatic cables indicated senior New Zealand Defence Ministry officials had been spying for the United States, secretly briefing the United States embassy on Cabinet discussions about the Iraq War.[52]

On 25 November 2020, the New Zealand Defence Force announced it was charging a soldier with seventeen offences, including four counts of espionage and two counts of attempted espionage.[53] The Linton–based soldier is a member of white nationalist group Action Zealandia, and expressed support for the Christchurch mosque shooter.[54][55] He is the first New Zealand resident to be charged with espionage.[56]

In August 2023, the NZSIS also reported that Iranian state actors were monitoring and reporting on Iranian diaspora communities and dissident groups in New Zealand.[22][23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Palmer, Geoffrey. "Securing our Nation's Safety". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b McGibbon, Ian. "Costello, Desmond Patrick 1912–1964". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  3. ^ Wilson 2004, p. 150-151.
  4. ^ Small, Zane (13 January 2020). "Spy within Five Eyes describes NZ's political system as 'compromised' by Chinese influence". Newshub. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "NZ soft spying target for KGB". The New Zealand Herald. 30 March 2000. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  6. ^ Wilson 2004, p. 150-51.
  7. ^ Wilson 2004, p. 64-64.
  8. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 239, 241, 251-254.
  9. ^ a b Hunt 2007, p. 266-271.
  10. ^ a b Christian, Harrison (24 June 2018). "No place to hide: Political dissidents fear China's influence". Sunday Star Times. Stuff. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Fresh from the Secret Force, a spy downloads on China". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 June 2005. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  12. ^ Wilson 2004, pp. 30, 50–51, 75–76, 97–98, 107–108.
  13. ^ Wilson 2004, p. 107-109, 75-75, 151.
  14. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 250-254.
  15. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 254.
  16. ^ Wilson 2004, p. 176.
  17. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 241-252.
  18. ^ Wilson 2004, p. 75-76.
  19. ^ Bennetts, C.H. (Kit) (2006). Spy : a former SIS officer unmasks New Zealand's sensational Cold War spy affair. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 978-1-86941-831-1.
  20. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 168-205.
  21. ^ McNeish, James (2007). The Sixth Man: the Extraordinary Life of Paddy Costello. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 978-1-86941-891-5.
  22. ^ a b c "NZSIS's first unclassified threat assess". Radio New Zealand. 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  23. ^ a b c McClure, Tess (11 August 2023). "New Zealand intelligence report accuses China of 'foreign interference'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Chinese defector to make NZ spy claim". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. 20 August 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  25. ^ Brady, Anne-Marie (16–17 September 2017). Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping (PDF). The corrosion of democracy under China's global influence. Arlington County, Virginia: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. pp. 1–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  26. ^ Edwards, Bryce (12 December 2017). "Political Roundup: China's 'magic weapons' in NZ". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  27. ^ a b Nippert, Matt; Fisher, David (20 September 2017). "Revealed: China's network of influence in New Zealand". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  28. ^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte (4 October 2017). "A New Zealand Lawmaker's Spy-Linked Past Raises Alarms on China's Reach". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  29. ^ "National MP Jian Yang taught English to Chinese spies but was not a spy himself". Stuff. 13 September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2021. I was a civilian officer, paid by the military but I had no rank. I was a lecturer.
  30. ^ Jennings, Mark (13 September 2017). "National MP trained by Chinese spies". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  31. ^ McCulloch, Craig (27 May 2021). "Labour, National tight-lipped on former Kiwi-Chinese MPs' departure". RNZ. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  32. ^ Harman, Richard (26 May 2021). "The cooling of relations with China: Why two MPs retired last year". Politik. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  33. ^ Hooton, Matthew (26 May 2021). "Matthew Hooton: Chinese Government associates alleged to have infiltrated National and Labour". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  34. ^ "Former spy's 23-year bid to call NZ home". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  35. ^ Manch, Thomas (16 September 2020). "New Zealand spy agency 'reviewing' Chinese intelligence database for security concerns". Stuff. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  36. ^ Manch, Thomas; Cornish, Sophie (15 September 2020). "New Zealand politicians, diplomats, judges, and fraudsters found on massive Chinese intelligence database". Stuff. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  37. ^ Manch, Thomas (27 March 2021). "Spies catch out New Zealander working for a foreign intelligence agency". Stuff. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  38. ^ "Chinese Communist Party spies in NZ universities, lecturers suspect". Radio New Zealand. 28 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  39. ^ "Chinese embassy dismisses claims spies infiltrating NZ universities". Radio New Zealand. 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  40. ^ "Government points finger at China over cyber attacks". Radio New Zealand. 20 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  41. ^ McClure, Tess (20 July 2021). "New Zealand and China clash after west condemns 'malicious' cyber activity". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  42. ^ "Response to Media Query by Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in New Zealand on Cyber Security". The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  43. ^ Radio New Zealand (21 July 2021). "China calls meeting with NZ officials over 'Cold War' mentality". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  44. ^ Bonnett, Gill (30 October 2021). "Couple denied NZ residence due to Chinese intelligence links". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  45. ^ Manch, Thomas (9 March 2023). "Senior government analyst accused of reporting to Chinese government by Security Intelligence Service". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  46. ^ Manch, Thomas (9 March 2023). "Chinese Embassy blasts accusation NZ analyst reported to China". Stuff. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  47. ^ Sevastopulo, Demetri (15 July 2024). "New Zealand prime minister vows to name and shame China over spying". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  48. ^ Craymer, Lucy (3 September 2024). "New Zealand says China remains complex intelligence concern". Reuters. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  49. ^ "Sinking the Rainbow Warrior". NZ History. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  50. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 272.
  51. ^ Fickling, David (16 July 2004). "'Mossad spies' jailed over New Zealand passport fraud". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  52. ^ Watkins, Tracy (20 December 2010). "Clark bowed to sending Iraq troops". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  53. ^ "Charges laid against Linton soldier". New Zealand Defence Force. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  54. ^ Weir, Elliot (9 August 2021). "Action Zealandia, NZ's largest neo-Nazi group, on the hunt for new recruits". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  55. ^ Manch, Thomas (13 October 2021). "New Zealand white supremacist group on Facebook's 'dangerous organisations' list". Stuff. Stuff (company). Archived from the original on 18 September 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  56. ^ Kerr, Florence; Manch, Thomas (25 November 2020). "Linton soldier is the first New Zealander to be charged with espionage". Stuff. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.

Further reading

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  • Bennetts, C.H. (Kit) (2006). Spy : a former SIS officer unmasks New Zealand's sensational Cold War spy affair. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 978-1-86941-831-1.
  • Hunt, Graeme (2007). Spies and Revolutionaries: A History of New Zealand subversion. Auckland: Reed Publishing. ISBN 9780790011400.
  • McNeish, James (2007). The Sixth Man: the Extraordinary Life of Paddy Costello. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 978-1-86941-891-5.
  • Wilson, A.C. (2004). New Zealand and the Soviet Union, 1950-1991. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 086473476X.
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