Rnz中文 / Rnz中文 英语新闻

NZSIS renews warning of foreign interference risk in sister-city ties

10:46 am on 8 July 2025
A delegation from Kumagaya, Japan, visited Invercargill in 2025. The iconic Kumagaya signpost can be seen at Stirling Point in the port town of Bluff.

A delegation from Kumagaya, Japan, visits Invercargill in 2025. The iconic Kumagaya signpost can be seen at Stirling Point in the port town of Bluff. Photo: Supplied

The country's intelligence agency has warned local governments to beware of potential foreign interference risks associated with sister-city relationships.

The warning comes as the government has pledged to progress legislation to criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences in its latest quarterly plan from 1 July.

Andrew Hampton, director-general of the NZ Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), warned local councillors to be vigilant when considering sister-city requests in a webinair in October.

In June, Hampton told about 300 ethnic leaders in Auckland they played an important role in ensuring that communities maintained dialogue and shared information to keep foreign interference at bay.

Sister cities are formal partnerships between towns or cities in different countries that seek to foster cultural and economic exchanges.

Local government officials from both cities organise regular meetings abroad to discuss ways of deepening cooperation.

Fifty-three local councils nationwide currently have active relationships with 154 sister cities, spanning countries such as Australia, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Indonesia, Japan and China, according to Global Cities New Zealand.

Hamilton and Chengdu, China, became sister cities in 2015. Located in southwestern China, Chengdu is home to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.

Hamilton and Chengdu, China, became sister cities in 2015. Located in southwestern China, Chengdu is home to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Photo: Supplied

While such partnerships can bring cultural and economic benefits to a district, an NZSIS spokesperson told RNZ that councils should remain alert to the possibility of foreign interference through these international connections.

"We are aware of a small number of foreign states engaging in foreign interference against New Zealand," the spokesperson said.

"By foreign interference, we do not mean normal diplomatic activity or cultural and economic engagement," the spokesperson said.

"Foreign interference is an act by a foreign state, often acting through a proxy, that is intended to influence, disrupt or subvert New Zealand's national interests by deceptive, corruptive or coercive means."

The agency's 2024 Security Threat Environment report said local governments were viewed as prime targets for "influence building".

"They can be attractive targets of foreign interference due to their extensive authority over valuable strategic resources and critical national infrastructure, as well as their ability to exert influence at the central government level," the spokesperson said.

"Local governments also attract interest since they own controlling stakes in all of New Zealand's ports and exercise control over the use of public spaces, such as spaces the community can use for organized protests or events."

The Suqian Friendship Garden in Queens Park opened in June 2020, marking another milestone in the long-standing relationship between Invercargill and Suqian City in Jiangsu province, China. Photo: Supplied

Darren Ludlow, a councillor at Invercargill City Council, said the city established a sister-city relationship with Suqian, China, more than a decade ago, and an even earlier partnership with Kumagaya, Japan, that dates to 1993.

Ludlow said the relationships had brought value to both sides, particularly through education and student exchange programmes.

The influence of these ties can still be seen across Invercargill today, from the iconic Kumagaya signpost at Stirling Point in the port town of Bluff to the Japanese and Chinese gardens located within the city.

Speaking about the potential risks associated with sister-city ties, Ludlow said local councils should always be aware of them.

However, he noted that Invercargill's conversations with its sister cities' local governments have been "very enlightening".

"I think we also need to understand that we live under very different styles of government," he said. "Understand the differences and respect them.

"But remember that, at a local government level, there's only so much that we can do," he said. "We have to be aware of the relationships that exist between the countries first and then our cities second."

Ludlow said the council reviewed its sister-city relationships every 10 years to decide whether or not to continue them.

The assessment considered the cost of maintaining the partnership, as well as the financial and social benefits it brought to the community, he said.

Tauranga is planning to celebrate its 40-year sister-city partnership with Yantai, China, in 2026, and is marking 37 years of ties with Hitachi, Japan, this year.

A spokesperson for Tauranga City Council said sister-city relationships supported the council's goals to strengthen and develop international connections that attracted top talent and opportunities to Tauranga Moana.

These included education exchange programmes and efforts to enrich the social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of the local community, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson acknowledged the importance of councils being aware of the potential for foreign interference through international connections and acting accordingly.

However, the spokesperson said those concerns must be weighed against the benefits these relationships could bring, including enhanced local economic and community outcomes and support for New Zealand's broader goal of driving economic growth.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate Photo: Supplied

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said sister-city relationships were part of New Zealand's broader diplomatic engagement with the world and remained a key way to foster economic and cultural ties with other countries.

Hamilton has forged sister-city partnerships with Chengdu and Wuxi in China, Saitama in Japan, Ieper in Belgium and Sacramento in the United States.

Southgate said each relationship served a different purpose.

While the connection with Ieper was rooted in the Anzac legacy, the ties with China and Japan focused more on education and cultural exchange, he said.

Councillor Ewan Wilson, who leads Hamilton City Council's sister-city review, said the relationship with China had been particularly beneficial to the city's economy.

"We gain a number of international students from China who study either at the University of Waikato or at Wintec here in Hamilton," Wilson said.

"We currently have over 170 students at Wintec and more than 800 Chinese students across all University of Waikato campuses.

"Each international student is in tuition alone worth between $25,000 and $50,000 per year per student, and that's before we calculate things like accommodation, food and all the sort of normal economic transactions that students engage in."

Invercargill's sister-city relationship with Japanese city Kumagaya is celebrated in Queens Park with the Japanese Garden, built from plans prepared by Kumagaya Landscape Institute president Yoshio Miyashita in 1997. Photo: Supplied

Wilson said the sister-city relationships had brought measurable, tangible benefits to Hamilton.

He said the city council reviewed these partnerships each elected term to ensure they continued to deliver strong returns for ratepayers.

Southgate did not believe the sister-city relationship posed a significant risk to the city.

"We always talk with MFAT (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and NZSIS each year, just to make sure we're up with all the global risks," she said.

"Every trip or major contact point that we have with the sister city, we do check it out with MFAT. We're led by government, so the government's responsible for keeping the country safe in its international relations."

The NZSIS spokesperson said the agency had made significant efforts to raise awareness of foreign interference across a range of sectors, including local government.

Meanwhile, the Protective Security Requirements team - part of the NZSIS - has published security advice and resources for New Zealand organizations and individuals, including locally elected representatives, to help them understand why they may be targeted by foreign states, and the nature of the threats to which they may be exposed.