#New Zealand
8 stories taggedNew Zealand.

Phone thief raided victim's Sharesies investment account and moved $50,000 in three transfers
A Hamilton man is behind bars after a stolen cellphone gave criminals a direct route into an investment app, netting tens of thousands of dollars. The case also exposed a separate scheme to help scammers cheat an elderly victim out of $24,000.

New Zealand welfare staff face 22 security incidents every single day
Government figures show Ministry of Social Development workers recorded more than 8,000 safety events in a year, from verbal abuse to threats of self-harm. The numbers are down slightly, but the daily reality for front-line staff remains grim.

New Zealand to introduce social media ban for under-16s, putting enforcement burden on platforms
Legislation due this week would require major apps to verify users are old enough to hold an account, with a new regulator empowered to fine or block services that refuse to comply.

New Zealand's spy agency says China is spying 'at scale'. Beijing says that's a lie.
New Zealand's national intelligence service named China as the only country conducting large-scale espionage on its soil. China's embassy fired back, calling the report fabricated and blaming 'anti-China forces' for orchestrating the claims.

New Zealand's Spy Agency Says It Blocked a Chinese Observatory From Installing Satellite-Tracking Equipment on NZ Soil
The Purple Mountain Observatory, a Chinese government-linked research body, tried to set up ground-based space hardware in New Zealand through a local company that apparently had no idea the gear could gather intelligence useful to Beijing's military.

New Zealand Sanctions 33 Russia-Linked Cyber Operators and Child Abduction Networks
Wellington's latest penalties name hackers and individuals tied to the forced removal of Ukrainian children, signalling that digital warfare now sits alongside human-rights abuses on the sanctions list.

New Zealand's Privacy Commissioner Warns of a Hidden Threat Inside Your Own Organisation
A quarter of all reported privacy breaches in New Zealand now involve staff snooping on people's personal records. Organised crime is making the problem worse.

Fake QR code stickers on Christchurch parking meters are stealing payments
Scammers placed fraudulent stickers over real payment instructions to redirect drivers to copycat websites. The Christchurch City Council is urging residents not to scan any QR code found on a parking machine.