Latest news with #AndrewHampton
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
NZSIS head reminds ethnic communities to be vigilant about foreign interference
Andrew Hampton, director-general of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen The head of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has reminded people to stay vigilant to foreign interference and ask questions if in doubt. About 300 ethnic community leaders from across the country gathered in Auckland on Saturday for the fourth Ethnic Advantage Conference organised by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities. The discussions were centred around social cohesion with foreign interference as one of the featured topics. In a panel discussion, director-general of NZSIS, Andrew Hampton, explained what foreign interference was and reminded people to be vigilant. Ethnic community leaders at the Ethnic Advantage Conference on 28 June, 2025. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen Hampton said remembering democratic principles could be helpful, for example, people can have different views but working for a foreign state to influence New Zealand was problematic. He said community leaders had an important role to play in maintaining dialogue between each other and sharing information. His department would continue to build trust and relationships with the ethnic communities, Hampton said. "It's not a destination, it's a journey, but the consequences of us not continue this journey are dire when it comes to national security." NZSIS would continue to shed light on foreign interference, provide information to community leaders, make sure the department was accessible and approachable, and its workforce reflected the communities, Hampton said. Mark Mitchell and ethnic community leaders at the Ethnic Advantage Conference. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen Mark Mitchell, the minister for ethnic communities said New Zealand can't be naive and believe that it's invincible from foreign inteference. "We do have countries that try to interfere with their diasporas," he said. "But here in New Zealand, we have to make sure as a government we're doing everything we can do to protect them and to call out those nations when they engage in that sort of behavior." Speaking of social cohesion, the minister called for people to endorse peace and tolerance. Mitchell said with the current geopolitical tensions, New Zealand was facing serious headwinds and was in a more challenging environment compared with decades ago. Ethnic community leaders at the Ethnic Advantage Conference. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen "One of the primary messages that we have had ministry and myself, is that we're entering a phase now where our conversation should be around social cohesion and peace and tolerance," Mitchell told the audience. He alluded to the Destiny Church march in central Auckland a week ago, and said people should be united, condemn and not buy into the provocation it tried to incite. He said New Zealand should be proud of where it was but people needed to make sure they don't lose ground. "...Recognising always the ability to engage in peaceful protest and freedom of speech, but with that comes great responsibility, and with that also comes a clear message to do it whilst in a peaceful and tolerant way." Individuals should also take responsibility for the way they receive and process information, as there was a lot of disinformation and misinformation around, he said. Chief executive at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, Mervin Singham Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen Chief executive at the ministry, Mervin Singham, said social cohesion and countering foreign interference are interconnected. "From my perspective, the first line of defense [against] foreign interference is community cohesion," Singham said. "So if people in New Zealand, wherever they come from in the world, if they feel they belong here, they matter, they enjoy the equitable environment that they live in..., then they will be less susceptible to being influenced to doing things that they shouldn't in this country and that's not in the interest of New Zealand." Singham said people could be a little bit nervous about this topic because their connection with a foreign country or their sense of pride in their country of origin. "What we don't want as the panel just discussed is people becoming involved in coercive activities that are not in the interest of the country," he said. "For example, stealing intellectual property, not for New Zealand's interest, for foreign state or pressuring people to doing things that they don't want to do, but they feel they're obliged because of the threat of oppression from an offshore state." There were resource tools on the ministry's website which people could use to educate themselves about the topics, for example where to go to report an interference, Singham said. Soon, the tools, launched earlier this year, would be available in 30 languages, he said. "They might be able to be more vigilant about how influence is slowly leading into interference, those sorts of things. This is where the power of the community lies." Community advocate Eva Chen. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen Community advocate Eva Chen said the discussion on foreign interference was a good reminder, but more information and clarity was needed from the government. "I always felt that the topic of foreign interference is far away from our day-to-day lives but today hearing from the panel, I got to know that it isn't that far away." However, she would appreciate more guidance from the officials about the specific activities and what kind of information they need from the community. "It's good that we're reminded to be vigilant, but for grassroots people like us, it feels far away and something that isn't likely to happen... we might not know how to be vigilant." Chen agreed social cohesion and foreign interference were interlinked. "If we're living in a loving society, being helpful to each other, then there is less likelihood of foreign interference. "However, if we have our own agendas... especially when the New Zealand government is not providing us with enough resources, and we need to seek help from the outside world, we might be susceptible to foreign interference when we're not vigilant enough." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
China accuses New Zealand's top spy of spreading 'false information'
China's embassy in New Zealand on Thursday accused Wellington's top spy of lying after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked economic and security cooperation. "The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information," the Chinese Embassy in Wellington said. "For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail." In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eye intelligence alliance along with Britain, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Hampton said last week that China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries,' which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant cooperation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no "secret agenda" in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Al Arabiya
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
China accuses New Zealand's top spy of spreading ‘false information'
China's embassy in New Zealand on Thursday accused Wellington's top spy of lying after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked economic and security cooperation. 'The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information,' the Chinese embassy in Wellington said. 'For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail.' In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eye intelligence alliance along with Britain, the US, Canada, and Australia. Hampton had last week said China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries', which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant cooperation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no 'secret agenda' in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China claims NZ's top spy spreading 'false information'
China's embassy in New Zealand has accused Wellington's top spy of lying after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service director-general Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked economic and security co-operation. "The relevant remarks are totally baseless, all fabrication, and amount to spreading false information," the Chinese embassy in Wellington said on Wednesday. "For someone holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail." In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance along with Britain, the US, Canada, and Australia. Hampton had last week said China wanted to "create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries", which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant co-operation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no "secret agenda" in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
Reuters
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
China accuses New Zealand's top spy of spreading 'false information'
BEIJING, March 13 (Reuters) - China's embassy in New Zealand on Thursday accused Wellington's top spy of "spreading false information" after the intelligence chief warned of security risks posed by Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific. In a speech in Wellington last week, New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service Director-General Andrew Hampton said the focus of Pacific nations on economic and transnational crime issues had opened the door for China to sign strategic deals with them that linked 'economic and security cooperation'. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The top spy's comments are "completely baseless, all fabrication," a statement released by the Chinese embassy in Wellington said. It urged Hampton to stop "mirroring" China with "cold war thinking and zero-sum mentality". In recent years, Beijing has struck deals with a number of Pacific nations, worrying New Zealand, a member of the Five Eye intelligence alliance along with Britain, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Hampton had last week said China wanted to 'create competing regional architectures, and expand its influence with Pacific Island countries', which posed foreign interference and espionage risks. The Cook Islands, a self-governing Pacific nation in free-association with New Zealand, is at the heart of recent tensions between China and New Zealand. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown travelled to China in February, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. That angered Wellington, which complained about the lack of consultation and transparency around Brown's visit. Relevant cooperation documents have been made public, the Chinese statement said, adding that there is no "secret agenda" in China's relations with the Cook Islands. China's embassy in Wellington also handles the country's diplomatic relations with the island nations of Niue and the Cook Islands.
