“A Stifling Atmosphere for Freedom of Expression”: The FBI Sets Up Shop in Wellington

Darcy Lawrey (he/him)

Rumors swirled through the capital two weeks ago following sightings of FBI Director Kash Patel in the basement of the Beehive and Finance Minister Nicola Willis’s remark about“lots of handsome men in suits who look like they have guns.”A contractor at the Intercontinental Hotel, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Salient that anti-bugging police teams had begun preparing the hotel for the visit 10 days prior.

But no bug was needed to uncover the reason for the influx of men in black: the FBI is officially setting up shop in Wellington. While the agency has long maintained a presence within the U.S. Embassy, Patel announced the establishment of a full legal attaché office (or “legat”)—an overseas outpost tasked with reporting directly to Washington, DC. 

Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ said kiwis “should be grateful” for the move, while Intelligence Services Minister Judith Collins described it as a step toward enhancing the “safety and security of all New Zealanders”.

The motivation behind the office’s establishment have sparked debate across media and online platforms. Marcin Betkier, a privacy law expert and lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, told Salient he believes the office is intended for “coordination of transborder anti-crime activities between NZ and the US,” citing the growing threat posed by  international cyber criminals.

But Valerie Morse, a leading member of Peace Action Wellington, remains unconvinced. She views the goal of curtailing international crime as a pretext for anti-activist policing, stating: “the FBI has a very long history of investigating quote-unquote domestic terrorism, which we have to read as activism in this country.

Morse also expressed concern for politically active students, pointing to the U.S response to pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. “What has happened there is terrifying,” she said. 

According to Morse, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service has previously pressed academics to report individuals whose research might be seen as compromising national security. With the FBI now involved “in the same kind of activity,” she warns that its presence in Wellington contributes to a “stifling atmosphere for freedom of expression and freedom of inquiry.”

Overall, Morse finds the entrenchment of a U.S. domestic police force in New Zealand “really worrying”—it’s a view she’s not alone in. The Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement called the office’s opening “a dangerous expansion of American imperial policing into the Pacific.” 

In response to the announcement, Green Party spokesperson Teanau Tuiono renewed the Green’s call for New Zealand to leave the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, saying, “we shouldn't be allowing foreign powers to set up shop like this”. Te Pāti Māori also condemned the move, arguing that it constitutes a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi