NZSIS Minister Judith Collins. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The spy agency minister is refusing to release documents about cyber security in the Pacific Islands.
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has been warning Pacific partners that China's growing influence in the region presents foreign interference and espionage risks.
A briefing for NZSIS Minister Judith Collins, ahead of a meeting with the US national cyber director last October before the Trump administration took over, notes New Zealand's support for building cyber security in the region.
Collins in response to an OIA request for documents about this, said she had received four documents that were in scope.
She has withheld all four on the grounds she is unable to release information that reveals the capabilities and methods of the NZSIS's sister agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).
"I do not consider that withholding the information is outweighed by the public interest," Collins wrote.
The OIA also shows Collins met with big US tech firms Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft around the same time she met the US director at a cyber summit in Singapore to discusses "opportunities for further cooperation" between the companies and New Zealand.
"New Zealand is appreciative of the role AWS plays in helping to protect its customers globally from cyber security threats," said one briefing.
"We are interested in strengthening our relationships across AWS globally, adding to the local and regional relationships we have. This will enhance our ability to work together to progress shared security outcomes."
The briefing suggested the minister could ask the company for its "perspective on New Zealand's cyber security posture".
A half-page section on the relationship between Amazon and the National Cyber Security Centre is almost entirely blanked out, on the grounds of protecting privacy and that revealing it might jeopardise the country's security or defence or international relations.
Collins visited Microsoft's cyber security centre in the city-state, which is New Zealand's most important defence partner in Southeast Asia.
The visit would "highlight opportunities for New Zealand to engage with Microsoft on cyber security reflecting the company's existing partnerships with New Zealand government agencies", said a briefing.
It noted officials were updating the national cyber security strategy and looked forward to engaging with the private sector, including Microsoft, "throughout this process".
It showed Microsoft submitted feedback on regulatory reforms to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure, to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Collins was also interested in Singapore's Memorandum of Understanding agreements with Microsoft and Google to strengthen national cyber defence and security, a briefing said.
The MOUs, signed in 2023, give the two US companies a role in Singapore in cyber threat "intelligence sharing", and joint operations to combat cybercrime. They cover exchanges on "emerging and critical" technologies, such as AI.
"Big Tech plays a key role in shaping our digital terrain and are therefore important partners in cyber defence and cybersecurity," the Singapore government has said.
Singapore just last week announced national security and military AI initiatives, including that it would tap commercial firms to develop generative AI to help commanders make decisions - an echo of what the US Pentagon announced in early March.
A bilateral defence agreement links New Zealand and Singapore on cooperation over cyber threats and the technical aspects of safety and security, and in "Homeland Security Technology", or surveillance.
Singapore has facial recognition woven into its Singpass system that provides access to 2700 public and commercial services. The government here has referred to this system, as it has incorporated facial recognition into a new online identity verification system run by Internal Affairs.
Singapore's defence spending dropped in 2023 to 2.7 percent of GDP, far ahead of New Zealand's 1.2 percent, but well down on its 1980s peaks of over five percent.
It has endorsed an international blueprint for action on military AI rules, arising from a REAIM summit hosted by South Korea last year, that New Zealand did not endorse.
