NZSIS Warns: Foreign Interference at the Forefront of 2026 Election

PILLAR NZ says the latest New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) assessment should leave no doubt that foreign interference is a serious threat to New Zealand’s democracy and must be addressed with urgency.

The fourth edition of NZSIS’s Annual Security Threat Environment Report affirms the growing threat of foreign interference which PILLAR NZ has been sounding the alarm over.

“Interference from foreign actors is a reality we must wake up to. Our democratic institutions, politicians, businesses and communities are under constant and well-organised campaigns of covert infiltration, influence and interference,” says PILLAR NZ spokesperson Arian Tashakkori.

The report notes that “The People’s Republic of China continues to be the most active at conducting foreign interference in New Zealand,” and is doing so “at scale” unlike any other nation.

“The report is very clear in noting that ‘the activity NZSIS sees cannot be described as benign’. It also points to certain state actors having a ‘voracious appetite’ for information that can be leveraged to gain advantage over New Zealand,” says Mr Tashakkori.

The report notes that our public and private sectors are being targeted by foreign states to gain access to privileged information, intellectual property and new technologies to be used to further the objectives of foreign powers and exert long-term power and influence.

“Sounding the alarm about the threat of foreign interference is not about partisan politics. It is about preserving the systems that allow us to engage in a liberal and democratic society,” says Mr Tashakkori.

“These findings demand a serious policy response ahead of the 2026 General Election.”

“PILLAR’s Foreign Influence Transparency Bill, which recently entered Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ thanks to National MP Tim van de Molen, must be taken up readily by parties across the House to combat the very risks and threats outlined in the newly released security report. Greater transparency is the answer,” says Mr Tashakkori.

“If we are to preserve trust in our democratic process, we must address these threats head on – and with speed.

Foreign interference is not a minor issue, and it is time New Zealand treated it with the seriousness it deserves.”

ENDS