New Zealand is a partner of the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) and meets regularly with Australia to coordinate and maintain effective counter-terrorism arrangements.
All New Zealanders have a responsibility to help detect and prevent attacks in crowded places.
In an emergency everyone should call 111.
If the information is not time-critical, people can report suspicious or unusual behaviour to their local Police by:
- calling New Zealand Police’s non-emergency number 105.
- visiting their nearest Police station.
- calling Crimestoppers if you wish to remain anonymous on 0800 555 111.
To report information of national security concern, call the NZSIS on 0800 747 224 or use their Public Contribution Form.
Government
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is responsible for leading, coordinating and supporting New Zealand’s national security system. This includes coordinating the delivery of New Zealand’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy (link is external) (through the cross-government Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee CTCC), and activating coordination mechanisms if a terror attack or similar incident occurs.
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS (link is external)) is responsible for detecting, investigating and understanding terrorism threats, and hosts the inter-agency Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) that sets New Zealand’s national terrorism threat level. CTAG does this by assessing the likelihood of a terrorism incident.
A change in threat level is used to determine government planning and risk management, and to advise agencies so they can take any further appropriate measures. A change in the threat level does not necessarily require specific response from the public.
New Zealand’s terrorism threat level and information about counter-terrorism and wider national security is available on the DPMC’s website (link is external).
The New Zealand Government uses the national terrorism threat level to inform and guide how it assesses and manages terrorism risks. Threat and risk assessments form the basis of the New Zealand’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which is overseen by the Security and Intelligence Board (SIB) and the CTCC.
If a terrorism incident occurs, the Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Coordination (ODESC) provides all-of government coordination of the response and makes recommendations to Ministers, including the Prime Minister.
Government has the primary responsibility for preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from terrorist attacks or similar incidents in New Zealand.
Owners and operators of crowded places
Owners and operators of crowded places are responsible for assessing the risks and vulnerabilities of their crowded places. Understanding the main factors that influence where terrorists target attacks will help owners and operators assess and manage risks.
Developing, implementing, and regularly testing a comprehensive security plan is a corporate responsibility and makes good business sense. The reputation of an owner and operator of a crowded place could be badly and permanently damaged if they do not prioritise protecting people from potential attacks. Any damage to their reputation could significantly affect their business finances.
See prepare your crowded place on this website for tools to help you assess your location.
Being security minded and better prepared could not only deter an attack, but also reassure people that security responsibilities are being taken seriously.
Owners and operators of crowded places are responsible for understanding what the current terrorist-threat environment means for the security of their site. Owners and operators of crowded places must report to the police any security incidents or suspicious activity at the earliest possible opportunity.
Owners and operators of crowded places include businesses, event organisers, sports clubs, charities, community groups, religious groups, government agencies and local government.
New Zealand Police
Police and intelligence agencies work with the public and the private sector to protect crowded places, and they are well-equipped to detect and disrupt terrorist plots.
New Zealand Police leads the Crowded Places Advisory Group New Zealand (CPAGNZ), which works with other government and non-government agencies to facilitate crowded places advisory groups.
Owners and operators seeking support about protective security should, in the first instance contact specialist security advisors. Where the event is of significant scale and or deemed to be high risk then local police should be advised and may be able to offer further guidance.
New Zealand Police have responsibilities in both terrorism and protective security. Police leads New Zealand’s response to any domestic terrorism threat, attack or similar incident.
Local government
Local government are often responsible for managing civic spaces, public activities, celebrations, agricultural shows and community markets, events and festivals. This means they have the same duty of care to develop, implement and regularly test protective security measures that owners and operators of crowded places have.
Local government also have an important role in designing and approving public spaces. This gives them the opportunity to consider, and creatively apply, protective security measures during the early design stages of crowded places, which can minimise the disruption of protective security on people’s enjoyment of public spaces.
Local government has an important role in the safety and wellbeing of New Zealand communities. This includes helping to protect crowded places from terrorist attack or similar incident.
Private security providers
Sometimes private security personnel (security contractors, risk-analysis experts and private security officers) are directly responsible for making crowded places more secure. Often they are the first responders to a terrorist attack or similar incident. Consequently, they must be well trained and professional. The Government supports the private-security sector to fulfil their responsibilities by maintaining robust regulations around employment, training, and registration.
Private security providers have an important role to protect crowded places.
The public
In an emergency everyone should call 111.
If the information is not time-critical, people can report suspicious or unusual behaviour to their local Police by:
- calling New Zealand Police’s non-emergency number 105.
- visiting their nearest Police station.
- calling Crimestoppers if you wish to remain anonymous on 0800 555 111.
To report information of national security concern, call the NZSIS on 0800 747 224 or use their Public Contribution Form.
Everyone who works in, or uses, a crowded place should be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious or unusual behaviour to authorities.
