The FBI has established a dedicated law enforcement attaché office in Wellington, New Zealand, marking a new phase in its partnership with the country. FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to Wellington this week for the opening ceremony at the U.S. Embassy.
“The FBI has had a strong relationship and collaborated closely with our counterparts in New Zealand for years,” said Director Patel. “Expanding the Wellington office demonstrates the strength and evolution of our partnership as we continue to work together to address our shared security objectives in the region.”
Previously, FBI personnel in New Zealand operated as part of a suboffice under Canberra, Australia since 2017. The new standalone office will focus on joint investigations, information sharing, and capacity-building efforts with local authorities. Its jurisdiction includes not only New Zealand but also Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands, and Tonga.
The office aims to tackle issues such as terrorism, cybercrime and fraud, organized crime and money laundering, child exploitation, and foreign intelligence threats through cooperation with regional partners.
In recent years, collaborative efforts between the FBI and New Zealand Police have led to progress on cases involving terrorism—including investigations following the Christchurch mosque attacks—organized crime operations, drug smuggling rings, cybercrime incidents, fraud schemes, and child exploitation cases.
During his visit to Wellington, Director Patel met with several government officials: Minister Collins, Minister Mitchell, Minister Peters, Police Commissioner Chambers, Director General Hampton, and Director General Clark. Discussions focused on maintaining strong ties between agencies and exploring further opportunities for collaboration.
The initiative builds on the broader Five Eyes alliance—a security partnership among the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand—which was established after World War II through the BRUSA agreement to promote intelligence sharing among trusted allies. More about Five Eyes can be found at https://www.nsa.gov/what-we-do/partners/five-eyes/.