Security concerns spur New Zealand to regulate who can monitor satellites

13/12/2024 16:18

The New Zealand government said on Friday it will pass legislation next year to prevent entities that "do not share the country’s values" from using it as a base to monitor satellites.



The South Pacific nation's location and clear skies make it a good place to launch and monitor satellites from, with the European Space Agency among those keeping an eye on space from New Zealand.



However, New Zealand’s intelligence service raised concerns in September about some foreign entities wanting to develop space infrastructure, which would have “assisted foreign military activity that could have harmed New Zealand interests.”



The report did not say which country or countries' military would have benefited if the plans went ahead.



However, the report did also say China remains a complex intelligence concern but there are other states that undertake malicious activity in New Zealand as well.