Outrage, Intimidation, and Influence: Time for NZ to Act.

For the third time in as many months, the Chinese Embassy has lashed out at criticism of its increasingly destabilising behaviour in the South China Sea and the Pacific.

From pressuring the New Zealand Herald over an opinion piece, to attempting to intimidate Ministers of the Crown for attending a Taiwanese event, and now attacking a joint statement from Australian and New Zealand leaders, the pattern is clear.

PILLAR Executive Director Nathan Seiuli says the Embassy’s response is marked by “false outrage, hypocrisy, and irony.”

“They decry foreign interference while engaging in it. They lecture on human rights while facing credible allegations of abuses. And they invoke international law only when it suits them,” Seiuli said.

The Embassy’s characterisation of the joint New Zealand–Australia statement as “colonial-style arrogance” is a deliberate attempt to inflame division within Western societies.

“That language is not accidental. It is designed to exploit tensions between indigenous, migrant, and broader communities in countries like New Zealand,” Seiuli said.

Last week, every New Zealand MP affiliated with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) received a copy of PILLAR’s Foreign Interference Transparency Bill. Copies have also been shared with leaders in Chinese and Taiwanese communities.

PILLAR is now calling on those MPs to follow through.

“There has already been early support for this bill. Now is the time to act. New Zealanders deserve transparency about foreign interference, regardless of where it comes from,” Seiuli said.

Despite it being an election year, PILLAR says this is an opportunity for unity, not division.

“Backing this bill would send a clear signal that both sides of the House are committed to democratic resilience beyond the ballot box.”

Seiuli warned that the stakes are rising.

“This is not theoretical. With global instability increasing, there is a real temptation to trade long-term security for short-term economic gain. That would be a serious mistake.”

“A secure nation becomes a prosperous nation. The reverse is not guaranteed.”

New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins recently described the current environment as “the most dangerous we have ever lived in.”

Seiuli says that warning should be taken seriously.

“The decisions we make now will shape whether New Zealand remains a sovereign, democratic nation in the decades ahead.”

“We owe it to our children and grandchildren to get this right.”

ENDS 

Media Contact | Nathan Seiuli | nathan@nzpillar.com