U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 - New Zealand
| Publisher | United States Department of State |
| Author | Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism |
| Publication Date | 28 April 2006 |
| Cite as | United States Department of State, U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 - New Zealand, 28 April 2006, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4681081a23.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
New Zealand further strengthened its domestic counterterrorism legislation in 2005. 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, Parliament passed the Terrorism Suppression Amendment Act 2005, which expanded criminalization of terrorist financing 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. By year's end, New Zealand had designated 420 terrorist organizations. To date, no funds belonging to these organizations have been found in New Zealand.
In April, 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 continued cooperative efforts to enhance counterterrorism capacity both in the Pacific region and beyond. It played a leading role organizing and funding through the Pacific Security Fund the first Pacific Islands Forum-wide counterterrorism contingency planning exercise, Exercise Ready Pasifika, which took place in Suva, Fiji, in November. The exercise brought together senior counterterrorism 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 cooperation.
In June, New Zealand hosted the inaugural Pacific Working Group on Counterterrorism (WGCT) in Auckland. The Working Group brought together counterterrorism 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 counterterrorism agenda.
New Zealand offered assistance to Pacific Islands Forum member countries to help them submit reports pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1373, and 1540. Seven Pacific Island countries responded positively to this offer, and New Zealand assistance is being provided to them.
In June, New Zealand concluded a bilateral MOU on enhanced counterterrorism cooperation with Fiji. New Zealand signed a Joint Declaration to Combat International Terrorism with ASEAN in July. The New Zealand Police continued its relationship with the Indonesian National Police under a bilateral MOU on cooperation in countering terrorism. The New Zealand Police provided practical assistance to Indonesia following the series of bomb attacks in Bali in October.
New Zealand has been a strong supporter of the Australia and Indonesia Interfaith Dialogue Initiative (IFD).
