Hon Judith Collins KC
Minister Responsible for the GCSB
Minister Responsible for the NZSIS

Minister responsible for the security and intelligence agencies Judith Collins has welcomed new guidance that aims to protect New Zealand’s start-up and emerging technology sector from the threat of economic espionage.

“We are a nation well-known for our ingenuity, and our willingness to openly collaborate in the spirit of enterprise and getting things done,” Ms Collins says.

“Our innovative breakthroughs can make us a target, and increasingly we are seeing a range of state and criminal actors seeking to gain commercial, technological, or dual-use military advantage off the back of our hard work.

“This important advice published today by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau’s National Cyber Security Centre will help our start-ups and our emerging technology sector be aware of what to look for so their security is robust.”

The advice - Secure Innovation: Security Advice for Emerging Technology Companies - has been released alongside similar guidance by security agencies from Five Eyes partners Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Our security intelligence agencies and their partners across the Five Eyes are being more open about the nature of the threats we are facing,” Ms Collins says.

“New Zealand’s technology sector is our third largest exporter, with $10.7 billion of goods and services exported last year and the sector contributing $23 billion to our gross domestic product.”

“Security is not a constraint on innovation. Indeed, if built in from the start, security both protects hard-earned intellectual property and increases the value of products and services.”

Ms Collins says the advice is relevant across her broader Ministerial portfolios including Science, Innovation and Technology, Defence, and Space – a sector filled with home-grown technology, research and development.

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