Time To Kick The Hornets Nest.
It’s that time of year where everything is happening at once. End of year functions. School Christmas productions. Explosive revelations of police corruption. Minor parties imploding. It feels like the whole country is spinning.
And in the middle of all that noise, three major developments on foreign interference slipped by almost unnoticed.
First the Government passed a bill that makes it easier to prosecute acts of foreign interference in New Zealand by adding clear, specific offences to the Crimes Act.
Second the Public Service Commission released its long term insights briefing on the Future of Public Service Integrity. One of the biggest threats they identified to the trustworthiness of our institutions was foreign interference.
Third New Zealand welcomed Zhao Leji, China’s top legislator and the third most powerful figure in the CCP.
We haven’t been shy to point out China’s constant presence in stories about national security and foreign interference in recent weeks. And it is not just happening here.
🇺🇸 The United States is calling out China for targeting the military, key industries, private citizens, and hacking critical infrastructure.
🇯🇵 Japan has been the target of threats of trade and tourism consequences due to comments about Taiwan
🇦🇺 Australia’s ASIO Director General Mike Burgess has warned of targeted, relentless attempts by actors linked to the Chinese government to compromise critical infrastructure, saying the risk of high impact sabotage is growing.
We get plenty of flak for speaking openly about China. Although, many of the accounts attacking us are anonymous, private, and faceless. No names. No photos. Barely any followers. Can you say “Bot Farm”?
We’ve even been warned by people with direct experience confronting foreign interference that strange things may start to happen to us in public and that certain countries should be avoided when traveling internationally. But we didn’t start PILLAR to stay silent. Too many organisations only speak when it costs them nothing. They play it safe. They stay within the news cycle. They avoid the hard conversations.
PILLAR exists to confront what others ignore. The truth is not always comfortable. And while some people prioritise self preservation, foreign interference is affecting thousands of New Zealanders every single day. Most people don’t notice because they assume it has nothing to do with them. But it does.
How many cyberattacks on critical infrastructure do we need to see before we wake up?
How many warnings from ASIO and the NZSIS do we need before we say enough?
How long will we pretend we don’t see a foreign power trying to intimidate our elected representatives?
The one headline you probably did see was the promise of cheap new ferries. But the price being advertised isn’t just the price of the ferries. It’s the price of getting us to ignore our principles. We like to hide behind trade relationships, but all we have really traded is integrity for convenience.
This is exactly why PILLAR is pushing back. In the coming weeks we’ll launch our campaign for a Foreign Interest Registry Scheme (FIRS) within our parliament. We already have cross party support. We have backing from intelligence agencies, experts, and academics. And we want legislation that requires anyone working within our government whether an MP, contractor, or business partner to declare foreign interests and potential conflicts.
Why does this matter?
Because the people shaping our nation and representing us on the world stage should be people we can trust to uphold Kiwi values, not the interests of foreign governments. They should defend democracy here at home and wherever it is threatened abroad.
This wont be an easy fight. It will be opposed by many. But sunlight is the best disinfectant, and this campaign will expose the back room deals and cosy relationships that weaken our democracy. Those who oppose it wont be doing so on principle but out of self preservation. So let us see what happens when we kick the hornets nest and say enough.
Join us. Your voice matters. Forward this email to three people. Share this at work. The change is in our hands. It belongs to all of us.
Let us do this.
