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Information on New Zealand Government agencies

New Zealand has several government agencies that are responsible for national security and protecting your rights in New Zealand. Here is information on what each of them do.

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The Government agencies included below are responsible for national security and protecting your rights in New Zealand. This information is about what they do and how they can support you. You can report foreign interference to New Zealand Police and NZSIS. To learn more about reporting see: How to report foreign interference.

NZ Police

New Zealand Police | Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa

New Zealand Police delivers services that ensure people can be safe and feel safe in their homes, on our roads and in their communities. Police operate 24 hours a day actively targeting and preventing crime and harm. With around 15,000 staff, we work from urban and rural stations and larger policing hubs.

We operate on land, sea and in the air, and respond to more than 1.3 million events per year – answering more than 925,000 111 calls and over 743,000 non-emergency calls.

Police staff are trained to help and protect everyone in New Zealand. Policing services are provided in a manner that respects human rights and are provided independently and impartially.

The main roles of police include preventing, investigating, solving, and reducing crime and road crashes. The functions of Police include:

  • Keeping the peace
  • Maintaining public safety
  • Law enforcement
  • Crime prevention
  • Community support and reassurance
  • National security
  • Participation in policing activities outside New Zealand
  • Emergency management.

Ethnic Liaison Officers

Police values diversity and support ethnic communities by having Ethnic Liaison Officers around the country. They work with communities to help them understand and access police services, provide information to Police about community concerns and work with Police investigating and preventing crime involving ethnic communities.

Our staff are always willing to listen to your concerns and work together with you to improve safety.

If threats are made to you either in person or online that make you fearful for yourself or others, please contact Police. This includes any incident which may be motivated by hostility based on race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.

All New Zealanders should be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious or unusual behaviour to authorities.

111 Police emergency:

Call 111 and ask for Police when:

  • People are injured or in danger; or
  • There is a serious, immediate, or imminent risk to life or property; or, a crime is being or has just been committed and the offenders are still at the scene or have just left.

105 Police Non-Emergency Reporting:

If the information is not time-critical, people can report suspicious or unusual behaviour to their local Police by:

If you need to talk to Police, call 105 from any mobile or landline. It's a free nationwide service available 24/7. If you can't get through to 105 please contact us online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105.

NZSIS

New Zealand Security Intelligence Service | Te Pā Whakamarumaru

The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) is New Zealand’s domestic security intelligence agency. Its mission is to keep New Zealand and everyone living here safe and secure.

The NZSIS is a public service department that investigates threats to New Zealand’s national security. This means protecting New Zealand as a free, open and democratic society. It also helps protect New Zealand’s international relations and economic well-being.

It is New Zealand’s domestic security agency and lead for human intelligence. This means it collects information by talking to a variety of people. Intelligence produced by the NZSIS is provided to government and other policy makers to support good decision making.

Another function of the NZSIS is to help government agencies and others to protect their people, information and assets from national security threats.

The key areas of focus for the NZSIS are:

  • Foreign interference, including the targeting of ethnic communities by coercive foreign state activity.
  • Espionage
  • Violent extremism and terrorism

The NZSIS works closely with domestic partners such as New Zealand Police and the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). It also works with communities, iwi Māori, local government, the education sector, businesses and organisations as part of its mission.

It operates under a law called the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, which ensures the NZSIS acts lawfully, is politically neutral and upholds human rights obligations. The NZSIS must work in accordance with the intelligence priorities set by the New Zealand government.

The NZSIS cannot arrest or detain anyone, and it does not investigate people because of their faith, nationality or for engaging in lawful protest activity.

Like all public service departments, the NZSIS is accountable to the Ombudsman, the Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Auditor-General and the Public Service Commission.

The NZSIS is also subject to robust, independent oversight by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. His role is to investigate complaints and conduct inquiries about the intelligence agencies to ensure they act lawfully and properly. The NZSIS is also accountable to New Zealand’s parliament and Ministers.

Learn more at Home | New Zealand Security Intelligence Service
Stay informed Engagement | New Zealand Security Intelligence Service
Report a concern Reporting a national security concern

GCSB

Government Communications Security Bureau | Te Tira Tiaki

The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) is New Zealand’s lead agency for signals intelligence. This means intelligence gained from electronic communications.

This intelligence is provided to government agencies to support their operations and decision making. The GCSB also receives intelligence from overseas partners, particularly Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. This combination of GCSB and overseas intelligence helps New Zealand make sense of the world and manage national security threats.

The GCSB is also the lead operational agency for cyber security through the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is a business unit within the GCSB. The NCSC provides cyber security services to all New Zealand - from individuals to small and medium businesses and organisations, large enterprises, government, and nationally significant organisations.

Own Your Online is the NCSC’s website focused on providing cyber security advice and guidance for individuals and small to medium businesses. To report a cyber security incident, visit Own Your Online or National Cyber Security Centre.

The GCSB works closely with the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS). The NZSIS investigates threats to New Zealand’s national security including protecting New Zealand’s democracy, foreign interference threats and the right of all people to live and speak freely.

There are many safeguards which ensure the GCSB always acts in accordance with New Zealand law and human rights obligations.

The GCSB carries out its functions under the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, which is a law that protects New Zealand as a free, open and democratic society.

The GCSB is a public service department and, like all government agencies, is accountable to the Ombudsman, the Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Auditor-General and the Public Service Commission. The GCSB is also subject to robust, independent oversight by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. The Inspector-General investigates complaints against the intelligence agencies and conducts reviews and inquiries to check they act lawfully and properly. The GCSB is also accountable to New Zealand’s parliament and Ministers.

Around 600 staff work for the GCSB. They are drawn from across New Zealand’s society and work in a variety of roles. The GCSB has a public website www.gcsb.govt.nz which explains more about its work.

Human Rights Commission

Human Rights Commission | Te Kāhui Tika Tangata

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission is New Zealand’s national human rights institution (NHRI). “He whakamana tangata. A life of dignity for all” is our motto and we embody this by protecting and strengthening the human rights of all New Zealanders and ensuring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is embedded in everything we do.

The Human Rights Commission has four Commissioners, an Indigenous Rights Governance Partner and approximately 60 staff located in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

We promote and protect human rights in many ways. One of these is through our free and confidential services to help the public address complaints about unlawful discrimination under the Human Rights Act 1993.

Our case advisors and mediators work with people to provide information, support early resolution and offer dispute resolution services. Our services are free and confidential. We do not investigate complaints or determine whether the law has been breached.

You can make a complaint if you think you have experienced discrimination because of your race, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability or another personal characteristic.

You can also make a complaint if you have experienced sexual harassment, unwanted sexual behaviour, or if someone is attempting to change your sexual orientation or gender expression.

Discrimination may come from an individual, such as an employer, a shopkeeper, a teacher, or from an organisation or service such as a restaurant or a government organisation.

It’s free and confidential to make a complaint to the Human Rights Commission. To learn more about making a complaint, visit our website at tikatangata.org.nz.

Information is available in te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Hindi, as well as accessible formats such as Easy Read,
Braille file, large print and audio.

He whakamana tangata.
A life of dignity for all.

Ombudsman

Ombudsman | Kaitiaki Mana Tangata

The Ombudsman can help when people have problems with government agencies, including central government and local government. For example, the Ministry of Social Development, Immigration New Zealand, your child’s school and your local council.

Making an enquiry or complaint to the Ombudsman is free and available to everyone.

You can complain to the Ombudsman if you believe a government agency has acted or made decisions you are unhappy about, that you may think are unfair, unreasonable or wrong. Your complaint will be considered carefully. The Ombudsman may ask you to complain to the agency first and can provide advice about how to do that. The Ombudsman can tell you about any other ways you can raise your concerns. The Ombudsman may also help to resolve your complaint or investigate it.

You can also complain to the Ombudsman if a government agency refuses to provide you with information.

The Ombudsman also helps people who wish to disclose serious wrongdoing at their workplace, or who need advice about how they will be protected when making a disclosure. The Ombudsman may investigate disclosures or refer them on to an ‘appropriate authority’ to consider.

You will not get into trouble for contacting the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman must not tell anyone else about your concern, unless doing so is necessary to help resolve it.

The Ombudsman is independent and does not provide legal advice, or act as an advocate or agent.

Getting in touch

You can contact the Ombudsman if you have questions or want to make a complaint.

A range of helpful resources and publications in various languages and formats is available on the Ombudsman website.

Translated information

Find out more

Case studies from New Zealand Security Intelligence Service The Government is changing the law to protect New Zealand from foreign interference Keeping safe online Your rights in New Zealand Examples of foreign interference How to report foreign interference

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