US embassy cable - 05WELLINGTON957

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000957 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT (RHONDA SHORE AND ED SALAZAR) AND EAP/ANZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, KCRM, EFIN, KHLS, KPAO, NZ 
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND: COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: STATE 193439 
 
1.  The following is Embassy Wellington's submission for the 
2005 Country Terrorism Report on New Zealand: 
 
New Zealand 
 
New Zealand has a strong capacity to develop and implement 
counter-terrorism policies, and further strengthened its role 
in the global war on terror in 2005 through domestic 
legislation. New Zealand has ratified twelve of the thirteen 
United Nations anti-terrorism conventions, and signed the new 
International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of 
Nuclear Terrorism in September 2005. 
 
Domestic Counter-terrorism Legislation 
 
In December 2004, the Government introduced a bill into 
Parliament to extend until 2007 New Zealand's UN Security 
Council-related designations of terrorist organizations. In 
June 2005, New Zealand's Parliament passed the Terrorism 
Suppression Amendment Act 2005, which expanded the scope of 
the criminalization of the financing of terrorism to include 
the intentional financing of non-designated organizations 
that engage in terrorism. The Amendment also extends until 
2007 New Zealand's UN Security Council-related designations 
of terrorist organizations. Passage of the amendment brought 
New Zealand into full compliance with FATF Special 
Recommendation II (Terrorist Financing).  As of the end of 
2005, New Zealand had designated 420 terrorist organizations 
and was considering adding more to the list. To date, no 
funds belonging to these designated organizations have been 
found in New Zealand.  In April 2005, Parliament passed the 
Charities Act, which established a Charities Commission to 
regulate and monitor charitable entities.  Charities will be 
obliged to register with the Commission in order to gain tax 
exempt status.  A charity will not be able to register if it 
is a designated terrorist entity or convicted of any offense 
under the Terrorism Suppression Act. 
 
New Zealand Police continue to strengthen their domestic 
counter-terrorism capacity.  Building on increased capacity 
in intelligence gathering, both domestically and 
internationally, and enhanced tactical responses, in 2005 the 
Police established regional teams to improve police 
investigation of national security-related matters. 
 
Since the events of September 11, 2001, New Zealand has also 
worked to strengthen its border controls and intelligence 
capabilities to prevent terrorists and terrorist groups  from 
using New Zealand territory or facilities.  No terrorists or 
terrorist organizations are known to be in New Zealand. 
 
The country also takes seriously the need to prevent the 
spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction.  New Zealand has 
participated in Proliferation Security Initiative exercises, 
supported the inclusion of export security issues in APEC, 
and, as part of its Supply Chain Security Strategy, works 
with US Customs officials to identify and intercept high risk 
shipping containers. 
 
International cooperation 
 
New Zealand also has continued cooperative efforts to enhance 
counter-terrorism capacity in the Pacific and 
internationally.  New Zealand played a leading role 
organizing and funding (through the Pacific Security Fund) 
the first Pacific Islands Forum-wide counter-terrorism 
contingency planning exercise, Exercise READY PASIFIKA, which 
took place in Suva, Fiji in November 2005. The exercise 
brought together senior counter-terrorism officials from all 
Pacific Islands Forum countries to assess  their capacity to 
plan for, and respond to, a developing terrorist incident. 
Exercise READY PASIFIKA  focused on four specific themes: 
internal cooperation and coordination; legal frameworks (with 
a particular focus on terrorist financing measures); border 
security (especially port and immigration security) and 
regional co-operation.  The exercise was widely welcomed as a 
success and New Zealand will host a third "follow-up and next 
steps" phase in April 2006. 
 
In June 2005, New Zealand hosted the inaugural Pacific 
Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (WGCT) in Auckland. The 
WGCT  brought together counter-terrorism officials from 
Pacific Islands Forum member countries, Forum observer 
countries, and relevant regional organizations to discuss the 
region's priorities, challenges and progress in implementing 
the international counter-terrorism agenda. The Forum 
 
WELLINGTON 00000957  002 OF 002 
 
 
Regional Security Committee (FRSC) endorsed the WGCT report 
and agreed the Working Group should reconvene in 2006. New 
Zealand has actively encouraged the UN Counter-Terrorism 
Committee Chair to attend the 2006 WGCT and she has agreed to 
do so subject to timing. 
 
New Zealand has also offered assistance to Pacific Islands 
Forum member countries to help them submit required reporting 
under UN Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1373 
(counter-terrorism) and 1540 (Weapons of Mass Destruction). 
So far seven Pacific Island countries have responded 
positively to this offer and assistance is now being provided 
to them. 
 
In June 2005, New Zealand concluded a bilateral MOU on 
Enhanced Counter-Terrorism Cooperation with Fiji.  New 
Zealand signed a Joint Declaration to Combat International 
Terrorism with ASEAN in July 2005. 
 
New Zealand Police continued its relationship with Indonesian 
National Police under its bilateral MOU on co-operation in 
countering terrorism. The NZ Police provided practical 
assistance to Indonesia following the second series of 
attacks in Bali in October 2005. 
 
Other initiatives 
 
NZ has been a strong supporter of the Australia and Indonesia 
Interfaith Dialogue Initiative (IFD). New Zealand sent a 
strong delegation to the  inaugural meeting of this process 
in Yogyakarta Indonesia in December 2004.  The meeting 
included representatives of the region's faith communities 
from the ASEAN  countries, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New 
Guinea and Timor-Leste. New Zealand, along with Australia, 
Indonesia, and the Philippines, is a member of an officials' 
steering committee overseeing the organization of a second 
IFD meeting, to be held in the Philippines in March 2006. 
 
 
McCormick