Chinese state-linked observatory sought NZ site, spy agency says

New Zealand's spy agency has revealed that a Chinese state-linked observatory sought to install infrastructure at a New Zealand site, seeking to collect potentially intelligence of military value. The warning was included in the agency's annual security threat assessment, which highlighted China's intelligence services as the most active espionage threat the agency faced.

The Purple Mountain Observatory, based in China with close ties to the Beijing government, attempted to install ground-based space infrastructure with a local New Zealand company that was likely unaware of the equipment's potential to gather intelligence. The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) did not specify the New Zealand company involved or detail how the plans were thwarted.

The agency's annual Security Threat Environment 2026 assessment noted that China was the only country detected conducting espionage at scale. NZSIS Director-General Andrew Hampton emphasized that the threat environment was more challenging than recent times, given New Zealand's size and location in the South Pacific. While urging New Zealand organizations to maintain awareness in their overseas business and research ties, NZSIS stressed that Beijing's national security laws could compel Chinese individuals and organizations to comply with intelligence-service requests.