Govt to remove Maori acknowledgment from ECE centres
The government plans to remove the legal requirement for the early learning sector to acknowledge Maori as tangata whenua, support children's cultural confidence, and teach about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In-Depth te ao Maori Journalist Ella Stewart reports.
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RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
NZ Police chief acknowledges impact of criminal deportees on the Pacific
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, right, at the Fiji Police Force headquarters in Suva. 2 May 2025 Photo: Fiji Police Force New Zealand's police commissioner says he understands the potential impact the country's criminal deportees have on smaller Pacific Island nations. Richard Chambers' comments on Pacific Waves come as the region's police bosses gathered for the annual Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police conference in Waitangi. The meeting, which is closed to media, began on Wednesday. Chambers said a range of issues were on the agenda, including transnational organised crime and the training of police forces. Inspector Riki Whiu, of Northland police, leads, from right, Secretary General of Interpol Valdecy Urquiza, Vanuatu Police Commissioner Kalshem Bongran and Northern Mariana Islands Police Commissioner Anthony Macaranas during the pōwhiri. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf Across the Pacific, the prevalence of methamphetamine and its role in driving social, criminal and health crises have thrust the problem of organised crime into the spotlight. Chambers said New Zealand had offered support to its fellow Pacific nations to combat transnational organised crime, in particular around the narcotics trade. However, the country's own transnational crime advisory group also identified the country's deportation policies as a "significant contributor to the rise of organised crime in the Pacific". In 2022, a research report showed that New Zealand returned 400 criminal deportees to Pacific nations between 2013 and 2018. The report from the Lowy Institute also said criminal deportees from New Zealand, as well as Australia and the US, were a significant contributor to transnational crime in the Pacific. Te Waaka Popata-Henare, of the Treaty Grounds cultural group Te Pito Whenua, leads the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police to Te Whare Rūnanga for a formal welcome. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf When Chambers was asked about the issue and whether New Zealand's criminal deportation policy undermined work against organised crime across the region, he said it had not been raised with him directly. "The criminal networks that we are dealing with, in particular those such as the cartels out of South America, the CJNG [cartels] and Sinaloa cartels, who really do control a lot of the cocaine and also methamphetamine trades, also parts of Asia with the Triads," Chambers said. "I know that the Pacific commissioners that I work with are very, very focused on what we can do to combat and disrupt a lot of that activity at source, in both Asia and South America. So that's where our focus has been, and that's what the commissioners have been asking me for in terms of support." He said he understood the difficulties law enforcement in Pacific nations faced regarding criminal deportees, as New Zealand faced similar challenges under Australia's deportation policy. In New Zealand, the country's returned nationals from Australia are known as 501 deportations, named after the section of the Australian Migration Act which permits their deportation due to criminal convictions. These individuals have often spent the majority of their lives in Australia and have no family or ties to New Zealand but are forced to return due to Australia's immigration laws. New Zealand's authorities have tracked how these deportees - who number in the hundreds - have contributed significantly to the country's increasingly sophisticated and established organised crime networks over the past decade. Chambers said that because police dealt with the real impacts of Australia's 501 law, he could relate to what his Pacific counterparts faced. "I understand from the New Zealand perspective [which is] the impact that New Zealand nationals returning to our country have on New Zealand, and the reality is, they're offending, they're re-offending. "I suspect it's no different from our Pacific colleagues in their own countries. And it may be something that we can talk about." This week's conference was scheduled to finish on Friday. Speakers due to appear included Interpol secretary-general Valdecy Urquiza and Pacific Islands Forum secretary-general Baron Waqa.
Newsroom
3 hours ago
- Newsroom
Online radicalisation and foreign interference among rising threats to NZ
Young New Zealanders are at growing risk of being radicalised online, according to a new report from one of the country's spy agencies that also highlights a rise in foreign interference activities against a background of global instability. In its latest security threat environment report, the NZ Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) warns the country faces 'the most challenging national security environment of recent times', with increasingly unstable relationships between states as well as rising levels of polarisation and grievance. The report says there has been 'a noticeable increase' in foreign interference actors visiting the country in the last 18 months, highly likely to have asked to build relationships with specific parts of New Zealand society and conceal their links to foreign states. China is singled out as the most active nation undertaking foreign interference in New Zealand (although not the only one), with a section on the country's United Front Work Department and its efforts to build influence with individuals and organisations in countries like New Zealand. 'It is important to acknowledge that not all [United Front] activity is foreign interference and some engagements can have benefits for New Zealand organisations. However, its activities are regularly deceptive, coercive and corruptive and come with risks for New Zealand organisations.' The security report emphasises concerns about transnational repression, saying some New Zealanders are being targeted by foreign states in a bid to keep diaspora communities politically loyal even though they live in another country. The agency says it is aware of 'co-optees' monitoring social media, photographing individuals at events, or instructing other community members to collect information on behalf of foreign states, with the risk that such information could be used to coerce the person being monitored or their family back home. In one case, a foreign state asked a co-optee to collect information on a New Zealand-based person who had applied for refugee status – 'almost certainly' because they were a member of the rainbow community. The report also says it is aware of foreign intelligence officers who have travelled to New Zealand to likely support 'coercive repatriation' of people back to their country of origin. Though it does not name any states, Newsroom has previously reported on China's efforts to force alleged criminals to return from countries including New Zealand. Foreign agents have been taking control of community organisations by co-opting or replacing leaders, with the replacements sidelining those deemed to be a challenge to the foreign state's agenda and sometimes restricting government officials from speaking to the wider community. In one case, a New Zealand official who wanted to share 'important security advice' with a community was discouraged from doing so by a community leader (also a government employee) who had undertaken activity in support of a foreign state's objectives: 'Even though the intent of the security advice was to raise awareness of risks, the gatekeeper likely thought it was against the interests of a particular foreign state.' The report also raises concerns about increasingly polarised and violent rhetoric both in the real world and online, including 'a notable degree of misplaced agitation and blame for perceived societal ills' at the fringes. 'Much of this rhetoric exists solely online, and its spread is aided by algorithms that push controversial content because it generates the most engagement.' The NZ Security Intelligence Service says it has not seen any sophisticated state-backed information operations directly targeting New Zealand, but believes New Zealanders 'have almost certainly consumed foreign state-manipulated information when active online, even if they are not the target audience of that information'. Young and vulnerable Kiwis were particularly at risk of being radicalised online, with teenagers increasingly coming to the attention of security services as unfettered internet access shortened pathways to violence. 'What might have previously been considered societal risks associated with internet safety, now have the potential to pose an ongoing risk to New Zealand's national security.' In an interview with Newsroom, NZSIS director-general Andrew Hampton said the report was not intended to alarm people, but to raise public awareness about the growing threats. 'We certainly don't want to cause despair or anxiety. I actually believe that in a democracy like ours, the public are often those who are best placed to actually see concerning behaviours, report them and take steps to mitigate them.' Although much of the activity outlined in the report was not currently illegal, Hampton said the Government's foreign interference legislation – which is yet to pass its second reading in Parliament – would allow police to take action and give communities a clearer demonstration of what activities were unacceptable in New Zealand, acting as a deterrent to foreign states and the 'sympathetic individuals' they co-opted. Asked how the public should reconcile China's status as both New Zealand's largest trading partner and the most active state carrying out foreign interference here, he said the spy agency was well aware that our country's prosperity relied on its international and trade connections. 'We are not saying don't engage, and we're certainly not saying don't engage with China: what we are saying, though, is be cognisant of the risks that are associated with some of that engagement.' On the issue of young New Zealanders being radicalised, Hampton said questions around greater regulation of internet access – such as a social media ban for under-16s as suggested by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and others – was for politicians and Parliament, but the agency wanted to draw attention to increased online engagement with grievance-based narratives. 'If you look at our current subjects of investigations – we're not talking about large numbers of people here – they're almost all young, in their teens or early 20s, they aren't part of global terrorist networks, they are people who have been largely radicalised online.' The spy agency had been speaking to school principals and other educators about what online radicalisation looked like, and had received leads as a result of that work.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ facing toughest national security environment of recent times
Director-general of security Andrew Hampton. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins The intelligence service warns threats to national security need to be taken much more seriously than they currently are. The Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has released its third annual Security Threat Environment report, containing its assessments of violent extremism , foreign interference , and espionage in New Zealand. The report said New Zealand was facing the most challenging national security environment of recent times, with foreign interference, espionage, and online radicalisation all highlighted as threats. Much of the report contained similar analysis and threats to the two previously released reports, though the NZSIS noted further deterioration since last year's report. This was largely driven by less stable relationships between states, and increasing levels of polarisation and grievance, the agency said. Commenting on the report, director-general of security Andrew Hampton said the deteriorating environment had a direct impact on safety and security. "Increasing levels of polarisation and grievance are driving support for violent extremist ideologies and foreign states are more willing to target New Zealand organisations and communities in order to achieve their aims," he said. "We are seeing active cases of young and vulnerable people being radicalised online, there are foreign states seeking to interfere with our democratic rights, and there is almost certainly undetected espionage activity targeting valuable intellectual property crucial to our future prosperity." The "downward trajectory" of relationships between foreign states becoming less stable and less predictable was continuing. It meant some were wanting to gain more influence, power, and strategic advantage. The relationship between the United States and China was cited, as well as Russia's willingness to assert its influence in Europe. The conflict in the Middle East would also have an enduring impact. The report highlighted the strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, saying China had demonstrated a "willingness and capability" to undertake intelligence activity targeting New Zealand's national interests, in bids to extend and embed influence across the region. The NZSIS said several states were responsible for foreign interference activities, including transnational repression designed to target diaspora communities. Foreign states had also attempted to exploit people inside the public and private sectors to gain influence. A Pacific Regional and National Security Conference panel on transnational crime and national security last month. Photo: Facebook / Pacific Security College Over the last eighteen monthths, the NZSIS had seen an increase in foreign interference actors visiting New Zealand. The report said these foreign delegations were tasked with building relationships with specific parts of society, often by seeking an invitation from a New Zealand organisation to host them. "On the surface, few organisations will sense any issue but many will not know the delegation's link to foreign interference entities. Members of these delegations will conceal these links so our communities and organisations are unable to assess the risk involved in the engagement," the report said. They have also arranged travel for representatives of New Zealand organisations to build long-term influence. The trips would often include business deals or photo-ops with foreign officials, which were then used by the foreign state to promote a perception of close ties and political support from influential New Zealanders. "This can have an alienating effect on repressed communities back in New Zealand experiencing transnational repression activity from the foreign state." The NZSIS observed diaspora groups were being targeted, with foreign interference groups seeking to co-opt or replace leaders and then sideline anyone deemed to be a challenge to the state's agenda. Certain religions, ethnicities, rainbow communities, and pro-democracy movements were also targeted. While foreign states often flagged legitimate violent extremist concerns with the NZSIS, some states were accusing New Zealand-based groups of being extremists or terrorists when they were not. "The NZSIS is extremely cautious about this deliberate labelling tactic, as it is used to stigmatise particular groups and to justify repressive activity against them." While the report said China was not the only foreign state carrying out activity of concern, it would not specifically name those other foreign states. A Chinese warship operates north east of Australia in February. Photo: AFP / Australian Defence Force The assessement said the most plausible violent extremist scenario remained a lone actor who had been radicalised online. While no one ideology stood out to the service as presenting a greater threat than any other, grievances and polarising issues online were driving support for those ideologies. Young and more vulnerable people were seen as being particularly at risk of becoming radicalised, with ease of access being a key contributor to the cases brought to NZSIS' attention. "Individuals who hold mixed, unstable or unclear ideologies are especially vulnerable to being radicalised online. The NZSIS has identified a number of people who appear to explore a range of violent extremist beliefs online and adopt certain aspects to suit their grievance," the report said. Violent extremist content was easy to find, and frequently shared in anonymous online networks hosting groups contributing to the radicalisation of people both in New Zealand and around the world. "What might have previously been considered societal risks associated with internet safety, now have the potential to pose an ongoing risk to New Zealand's national security." Artificial intelligence had emerged as a way of facilitating violent extremism and state-sponsored interference activities. "AI is making harmful propaganda appear more authentic and allows it to be spread at scale and speed," the report said. "The ease of access to AI will be assisting violent extremists to research and plan attacks and is reducing barriers that previously made it difficult to access information about more advanced capabilities or weapons." Five Eyes intelligence alliance leaders at a technology summit in California, in 2023. Photo: supplied Throughout the report, the NZSIS provided case studies and security advice, with the agency warning it could not automatically pick up on all concerning activities. In mitigating foreign interference, it suggested steps such as researching someone online before agreeing to meet them, or determining whether their interest had become suspicious or persistent. Considering the opportunities and risks of hosting a foreign delegation was also suggested. "We are not all-seeing and all-knowing, and in a democratic society like ours nor should we be. In many cases the public will notice a threat before we do," Hampton said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
