FBI Director Kash Patel announced Thursday the opening of a new standalone FBI office in Wellington, New Zealand, aimed in part at strengthening efforts to counter China’s growing presence in the Pacific region.
The new law enforcement attaché office will deepen U.S.-New Zealand cooperation on key security issues, including cyber threats, drug trafficking, and transnational crime. “Some of the most important global issues of our times are the ones that New Zealand and America work on together – countering the CCP in the Indo PACOM theatre, countering the narcotics trade, working together against cyber intrusions and ransomware operations and most importantly protecting our respective citizenry,” Patel said in a video released by the U.S. Embassy in Wellington.
The FBI has operated a suboffice in New Zealand since 2017 and regularly collaborates with local authorities on matters such as organized crime and child exploitation. The expanded presence comes amid heightened concern over Beijing’s strategic ambitions in the region and follows deepening intelligence ties between the two nations.
Both countries are members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, alongside Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Mark Mitchell welcomed the new office in a joint statement, calling it a step forward in safeguarding national security.
Patel met with key government ministers during his visit to formally inaugurate the office.
Read the NZ Embassy Press Release
