Latest news with #GovernmentCommunicationsSecurityBureau
Techday NZ
29-06-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
New secure data centre Mātai opens at RNZAF Base Auckland
The Government Communications Security Bureau has formally taken possession of a new all-of-government data centre located at RNZAF Base Auckland, following an opening ceremony. The facility will provide a centralised and secure environment for the processing and storage of some of New Zealand's most sensitive government information. The data centre, named Mātai, was built after several years of planning involving collaboration between multiple government agencies and local iwi Ngati Whātua o Kaipara. Milestone for digital infrastructure GCSB Director-General Andrew Clark described the inauguration of the data centre as an important advancement in the progression of the country's secure digital infrastructure. "This is an investment that has been years in the planning, due to the role of this facility in processing and storing some of our most sensitive government information." He acknowledged the collective work and dedication of all parties involved in the development of the site, noting the particular combination of requirements and expectations that the project demanded. "Both the design and location of the facility were informed by a number of factors, including our unique environment and New Zealand's specific data storage needs." Partnership with mana whenua Clark paid tribute to Ngati Whātua o Kaipara, who played a meaningful role in the project by gifting the name Mātai to the building. He explained the cultural and geographic significance of the name in the context of the region's history. "A key partner in this build has been with mana whenua Ngati Whātua o Kaipara who have generously gifted the name Mātai to the building. The name comes from the site of an ancestral Pā, Rangi Mātai at Ōtakanini in South Kaipara and from where you can see in all directions." Defence Force collaboration The facility is located within the Whenuapai base perimeter, a site that offered the necessary amenities and level of security required for the project. Clark emphasised the value of this relationship and the benefits it brings to the operation of the data centre. "Also integral to the project has been the support of the New Zealand Defence Force, with Mātai located within the Whenuapai base perimeter." Leadership in information security The GCSB is responsible for managing the data centre as the lead agency for information security across government, supporting the wider public sector's requirements for digital safeguarding. The project is positioned as a reflection of the increasing significance of digital resilience and the importance of secure facilities for national data. The opening ceremony was attended by senior officials, with the centre officially opened by Minister Responsible for the GCSB and Minister of Defence Judith Collins. The new facility is anticipated to play a fundamental role in advancing the government's data security and response capabilities as digital needs and security challenges continue to grow. Follow us on: Share on:
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Formerly Secret Spy Data Centre To Open Soon In West Auckland
Article – RNZ A tailor-made data centre for the country's most secret and sensitive public sector information is expected to open soon in West Auckland.A tailor-made data centre for the country's most secret and sensitive public sector information is expected to open soon in West Auckland. The $300m facility at the air force base in Whenuapai is a partnership between the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) spy agency and the Defence Force. It was especially designed to meet New Zealand's 'unique environment', the GCSB has said previously. Begun in 2022, but announced only in 2023 'after security milestones had been achieved', the centre will provide extra secure storage for core information across government agencies. It was on track to begin operating by the middle of the year, the spy agency said. A main driver has been to get 'additional protection against malign actors', official papers showed. A lot of public agency data is held in data centres in Australia run by big US tech companies. 'The data centre is neither modelled on nor linked to an Australian centre,' the GCSB said in 2023, in response to a request made under the Official Information Act. 'We did however seek to draw learnings from selected international partners about their data centres, given this is the first instance where we have built such a facility, noting we have a unique environment and different requirements than international partners.' A 'non-sovereign' option offshore, or in a centre with offshore ownership, was ruled out early on. Planning dated back almost a decade, when a Cabinet committee in 2016 agreed on setting money aside following a security resourcing review. 'The facility needed to be within New Zealand, preferably on existing Crown land,' the GCSB said. 'Value for money was a strong factor, as was geographical diversity and resiliency.' The centre would 'shore up the resilience of our secure data storage for at least another 25 years', the spy agency said in a statement. The GCSB's appropriation in Budget 2025 of $262m was about a fifth lower than what it spent last year. There was 'volatility from year to year as capital projects start and finish', it said. Successive governments' policy of pushing to the 'cloud' had propelled a lot of agencies to switch from storing and processing data on-site, to using services and servers run by Microsoft, Amazon and Google, in Australia. The former two have been building large data centres in this country.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Formerly Secret Spy Data Centre To Open Soon In West Auckland
Article – RNZ A tailor-made data centre for the country's most secret and sensitive public sector information is expected to open soon in West Auckland. The $300m facility at the air force base in Whenuapai is a partnership between the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) spy agency and the Defence Force. It was especially designed to meet New Zealand's 'unique environment', the GCSB has said previously. Begun in 2022, but announced only in 2023 'after security milestones had been achieved', the centre will provide extra secure storage for core information across government agencies. It was on track to begin operating by the middle of the year, the spy agency said. A main driver has been to get 'additional protection against malign actors', official papers showed. A lot of public agency data is held in data centres in Australia run by big US tech companies. 'The data centre is neither modelled on nor linked to an Australian centre,' the GCSB said in 2023, in response to a request made under the Official Information Act. 'We did however seek to draw learnings from selected international partners about their data centres, given this is the first instance where we have built such a facility, noting we have a unique environment and different requirements than international partners.' A 'non-sovereign' option offshore, or in a centre with offshore ownership, was ruled out early on. Planning dated back almost a decade, when a Cabinet committee in 2016 agreed on setting money aside following a security resourcing review. 'The facility needed to be within New Zealand, preferably on existing Crown land,' the GCSB said. 'Value for money was a strong factor, as was geographical diversity and resiliency.' The centre would 'shore up the resilience of our secure data storage for at least another 25 years', the spy agency said in a statement. The GCSB's appropriation in Budget 2025 of $262m was about a fifth lower than what it spent last year. There was 'volatility from year to year as capital projects start and finish', it said. Successive governments' policy of pushing to the 'cloud' had propelled a lot of agencies to switch from storing and processing data on-site, to using services and servers run by Microsoft, Amazon and Google, in Australia. The former two have been building large data centres in this country.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Formerly Secret Spy Data Centre To Open Soon In West Auckland
A tailor-made data centre for the country's most secret and sensitive public sector information is expected to open soon in West Auckland. The $300m facility at the air force base in Whenuapai is a partnership between the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) spy agency and the Defence Force. It was especially designed to meet New Zealand's "unique environment", the GCSB has said previously. Begun in 2022, but announced only in 2023 "after security milestones had been achieved", the centre will provide extra secure storage for core information across government agencies. It was on track to begin operating by the middle of the year, the spy agency said. A main driver has been to get "additional protection against malign actors", official papers showed. A lot of public agency data is held in data centres in Australia run by big US tech companies. "The data centre is neither modelled on nor linked to an Australian centre," the GCSB said in 2023, in response to a request made under the Official Information Act. "We did however seek to draw learnings from selected international partners about their data centres, given this is the first instance where we have built such a facility, noting we have a unique environment and different requirements than international partners." A "non-sovereign" option offshore, or in a centre with offshore ownership, was ruled out early on. Planning dated back almost a decade, when a Cabinet committee in 2016 agreed on setting money aside following a security resourcing review. "The facility needed to be within New Zealand, preferably on existing Crown land," the GCSB said. "Value for money was a strong factor, as was geographical diversity and resiliency." The centre would "shore up the resilience of our secure data storage for at least another 25 years", the spy agency said in a statement. The GCSB's appropriation in Budget 2025 of $262m was about a fifth lower than what it spent last year. There was "volatility from year to year as capital projects start and finish", it said. Successive governments' policy of pushing to the 'cloud' had propelled a lot of agencies to switch from storing and processing data on-site, to using services and servers run by Microsoft, Amazon and Google, in Australia. The former two have been building large data centres in this country.
AllAfrica
24-02-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
China war games nudge New Zealand closer to AUKUS
The appearance of three Chinese naval vessels firing live rounds in the Tasman Sea has caused understandable alarm in New Zealand and Australia. But this has more to do with the geopolitical context than the actual event. In fact, the Chinese navy is allowed to conduct exercises in the Tasman and has wide freedoms on the high seas in general. So far, China appears to be acting in accordance with both the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea. While New Zealand would have preferred more notice of the Chinese navy's intentions, there was no obligation to provide this. Nor is what is occurring in the Tasman similar to the more aggressive saber-rattling the Chinese military has displayed around the South China Sea, most recently involving both the Australian and Philippine navies. And in September last year, just a few days after Australian and New Zealand vessels sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental missile into the South Pacific. For China, of course, Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea are highly disputed territory. The Tasman Sea is not. But what is disputed is China's role and influence in the Pacific – and this, rather than a minor naval exercise, is what is causing headaches in Canberra and Wellington. The surprise agreement signed by the Cook Islands and China under a fortnight ago, aimed at 'deepening blue economy cooperation', is the immediate context for that concern. The deal avoids controversial areas such as security and policing. But it moves Chinese influence into infrastructure support for wharves, shipbuilding and repair, and ocean transportation. What really challenges New Zealand's foreign policy is how this opens the South Pacific up to even greater Chinese influence and activity. Foreign Minister Winston Peters has signaled it is time to reset the relationship with the Cooks. For its part, China has asserted that its relationship with the Cook Islands 'is not directed against any third party and should not be subject to or disrupted by any third party.' In other words, China has told New Zealand to butt out of a major development in the historically close diplomatic and political relationship with its Pacific neighbor. All of this is happening within a rapidly shifting geopolitical sphere. US President Donald Trump is unilaterally attempting to upend the old US-led world order, and other major powers such as Russia and China are adapting. New Zealand's relations with China were already difficult. The Security Intelligence Service and Government Communications Security Bureau have both identified state-sponsored Chinese interference in domestic affairs, breaches of the parliamentary network and other malicious cyber activity. The question now is whether China has scored an own goal with its recent actions. While it might prefer New Zealand to operate a more independent foreign policy – balancing its relations with East and West – the opposite may now be more likely. In times of international stress and uncertainty, New Zealand has always tended to move towards deepening relationships with traditional allies. Whether it is the fear of Russian invasion in the 19th century, or Japanese invasion in the 20th century – and whether or not those threats are real or imagined – New Zealand reverts to form. It has been this way for nearly 150 years and is likely to occur again. New Zealand is already grappling with how to respond to the Trump administration's redrawn global system and will be looking for ways to deepen the friendship. At the same time, the government now seems committed to joining a new arms race and increasing defense spending as a proportion of GDP. And the supposed benefits of joining the second tier of the AUKUS security pact may now become that much easier to sell politically. Alexander Gillespie is professor of law, University of Waikato This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
