Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and GCSB Minister Andrew Little react to the report that CCTV cameras made by CCP-linked companies were found in Government departments. Video / Mark Mitchell
There are concerns over security cameras made by Chinese Communist Party-linked companies being installed in government departments as New Zealand’s allies remove the CCTV tech from their sensitive buildings.
A Newstalk ZB investigation has found at least 120 Hikvision or Dahua cameras are installed across the New Zealand Police, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki.
Manufacturers Dahua and Hikvision are both partly state-owned by the CCP, the Associated Press has reported. Hikvision has also faced allegations of aiding Beijing in oppressing minorities and monitoring protesters, which it has denied.
In February, Australia’s Government said it will remove the surveillance cameras from sensitive buildings, including from several defence and military-associated spaces, after the United States and Britain made similar moves last year.
The US Government said in November that it was banning telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from several prominent Chinese brands, including Hikvision and Dahua, in an effort to protect the nation’s communications network. Security cameras made by Hikvision were also banned from British government buildings in November.
There have been growing tensions between China and the US and its allies. Pictured is the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a South Korea and US combined maritime exercise last week. Photo / Getty Images
Andrew Little, the minister responsible for the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and Government Communications Security Bureau, had previously indicated that the likelihood of discovering the cameras in New Zealand government buildings was “very low” after nearly 1000 Chinese-made cameras and other recording devices were found to have been installed across 250 different Australian government building sites.
Following Newstalk ZB’s investigation, Little maintained he was satisfied that there was “good compliance” with mandatory security requirements.
New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and Government Communications Security Bureau Minister Andrew Little. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Dahua cameras have also been found as part of a member of Parliament’s home security system.
Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said neither Hikvision nor Dahua cameras had been provided to any MP.
“However, one member previously had Dahua cameras installed in their home,” he said. “For privacy reasons, we will not be naming this member.”
Newstalk ZB understands the person is not a Cabinet minister.
National Party MP Simon O’Connor, who is also the New Zealand co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), said it would be “relatively simple” to order an audit of Dahua and Hikvision cameras across New Zealand’s government departments.
“There are questions about these cameras . . . both issues of security, and some moral elements too”, he said.
“I just don’t see why New Zealand needs to expose itself . . . we have other options, it’s a no-brainer to me that we should go and use them.”
Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. Photo / Lynn Grieveson
A spokesperson for the Government’s procurement unit at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said agencies are required to “undertake due diligence on risks before entering a contract with any supplier – irrespective of their country of origin”.
“Each agency is different, and assessments about national security risks – like other risks – are best made on a case-by-case basis”, the spokesperson said.
Answers to written questions by the National Party reveal police use about 60 Hikvision or Dahua devices.
A police spokesperson said they have an estimated “60 earlier-model Hikvision or Dahua cameras at a limited number of . . . sites”.
It wouldn’t disclose the specific locations for “operational reasons”, but maintained none had been procured after 2019, nor were they connected to the internet, and they’ll be phased out “at or before their end of life”.
A Dahua security camera in Sydney, Australia. Photo / AP, Mark Baker
The Department of Conservation has 60 Hikvision cameras, while the Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki didn’t have specific figures, only saying they have “some” Hikvision cameras.
Many agencies and councils wouldn’t directly answer questions about whether they had Hikvision or Dahua equipment.
About 3000 Dahua or Hikvision cameras are installed at councils, including Rotorua Lakes, Tauranga City, and Napier, according to National’s calculations.
The Department of Conservation director of health, safety, and security, Harry Maher, said there was no government directive “to prohibit the use of these cameras”.
“If this changes, we will re-evaluate their use in DoC premises”, he said.
Meanwhile, Oranga Tamariki chief technology officer Arun Rajamani said the agency has a “small number of legacy Hikvision cameras that are currently being phased out and replaced . . . [and] are also not connected to the internet”.
The Ministry of Social Development has Hikvision cameras in “some sites” without network connectivity, and those being used at Work and Income service centres are being replaced, while others will be swapped out “at the end of life.”
