Paul Goldsmith. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says announcements will be made soon about strengthening criminal responses to foreign interference and spying.
The government's fourth-quarter plan includes introducing legislation to help agencies to combat foreign interference.
The New Zealand Chinese Association recently called for the country to start a register of foreign agents, like Australia has.
The previous Labour government began looking at new crimes to better prosecute foreign agents, but did not get that done. National security agency warnings about foreign interference have multiplied since.
Goldsmith said his ministry was leading work to strengthen criminal responses to foreign interference as part of a wider work programme coordinated by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
"Announcements will be made soon," Goldsmith said. "We constantly review our settings to ensure they are fit for purpose. This is important because, as the NZSIS's 2024 security threat assessment illustrates, the threat environment is evolving at pace."
Nationwide ethnic and faith leaders raised it at a recent meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
"The New Zealand Chinese Association highlighted that foreign interference is impacting our democracy and we should now consider registration of foreign agents, like all the other Five Eyes countries," said a group statement.
The government has said that some minority communities were being "negatively impacted and coerced by groups from overseas seeking to further their own agendas at the expense of community cohesion".
The Chinese Embassy and Ministry of State Security have labelled a recent SIS report that said China was among states that undertook "malicious activity" here "to change New Zealand's values and interests to better align with their own" as unfair.