Investigations into home-grown security threats have appeared in the annual report of the Security Intelligence Service for the first time since anti-terrorism efforts were increased after September 2001.
In the agency's annual report, new director Warren Tucker said that while most terrorism happened on the other side of
the world, "the service must not relax its vigilance".
He listed investigations the SIS had done over the past year, including into "individuals who have been assessed as putting New Zealanders' security at risk".
The highly secretive service usually lists, in broad terms, what areas it has worked in. This frequently includes investigating people in New Zealand with suspected links to Islamic extremists and terrorist groups, and foreign spies working here. However, mention of possible threats on the country's soil are rare.
The report is sparse on detail, but it could be a reference to SIS involvement in the investigation into alleged weapons camps in the Ureweras, over which the Solicitor-General has since refused to allow terrorism charges to be laid.
The report also indicates the SIS foiled attempts by foreign spies in New Zealand. It mentions an investigation which led to advice to the Government of espionage threats to New Zealand by "hostile intelligence services" and the disruption of those threats.
The SIS's role in anti-terrorism measures has expanded since 2001 and in his report, Mr Tucker said the service had restructured to ensure it could be effective in the future.
"The world is changing, methods of communication and use of the internet, both as an educator and a means of influence, have become more sophisticated and made the world 'a smaller place'.
"The service must continue to work with its fellow intelligence community counterparts to develop the expertise necessary to operate within this changing environment."
The report also shows an increase in the number of reports on "threat-related issues" by the Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG), which did 212 reports on threat-related issues last year, compared to 144 the year before.
The group is made up of the SIS, police, Government Communications Security Bureau, defence intelligence and border officials and was set up in 2004.
