Cheap. Smart. Efficient. Electric. And the end of National Security.

Kiwis are being sold a story about the future of transport.

Cheap. Smart. Efficient. Electric.

But there’s a serious question no one in Government seems willing to ask:

What are we actually letting into the country?

At PILLAR, we’re raising the alarm about the rapid rise of Chinese-made smart vehicles in New Zealand. These are not just cars. They are rolling data collectors, packed with sensors, cameras, GPS tracking, and always-on connectivity.

Put simply, they are computers on wheels. And don’t even get me started on home appliances with wifi ability, wifi modems, and other Chinese made tech that is being used around the globe to build private data mining networks.

Like any connected device, they can collect, store, and transmit vast amounts of data. Where you go. How you drive. Who you visit. What routes you take.

That might sound abstract. It’s not.

Countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia are already taking this seriously. Their defence and security agencies have warned that these vehicles could pose real surveillance risks. One major policy institute even described them as “a rolling security threat.”

Yet here in New Zealand, we’re barely having the conversation.

Even more concerning are the remote control capabilities built into many modern vehicles. Features like remote access and vehicle immobilisation might sound convenient, but in the wrong hands they could be used to disrupt transport systems or disable vehicles entirely.

We’ve already seen concerns raised about this kind of technology in public infrastructure like buses and ferries. Now it’s entering private vehicles at scale.

This is not about fearmongering. It’s about basic national resilience.

These are no longer just cars. They are data platforms. And if we don’t take that seriously, we risk handing over sensitive data and critical systems without even realising it.

New Zealand cannot afford to be naive.

We are calling for a formal Government inquiry into the national security implications of these vehicles, and stronger protections for the data of everyday Kiwis. Today we’ve written to nearly 1000 journalists, as well as the three ministers who can make a difference here. You can view both our Media release and Public letter via those hyperlinks.

But we know how this works. Change does not happen unless people speak up.

That’s where you come in.

If you care about privacy, national security, and keeping control over the systems we rely on every day, we need your voice.

Forward this. Talk about it. Raise it with your MP.

Because once this technology is embedded everywhere, it will be much harder to deal with.

Let’s not sleepwalk into a problem we could have seen coming.