Trump-appointee Kash Patel opens FBI office in NZ

Thursday, 31 July 2025

FBI director Kash Patel has visited Wellington to open an official office for the United States law enforcement agency.

The US embassy in Wellington confirmed the reason for Patel’s visit on Thursday afternoon.

Patel, in a video statement provided by the embassy, said this was a “historic” moment as New Zealand was the only Five Eyes intelligence alliance nation without a permanent FBI presence.

“Some of the most important global issues of our times are the ones that New Zealand and America work on together, countering the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] in the Indopacomm [Indo-Pacific Command] theatre, countering the narcotics trade, working against cyber intrusions and ransomware operations, and most importantly, protecting our respective citizenry here in New Zealand, at home in America and across the world,” he said.

“We cannot do that without our partners here in New Zealand, and our permanent presence here through our law enforcement attaché office is a step in that direction.

Patel said “partnering with the Kiwis here in New Zealand” was an important mission for him. It was one of his first international trips as FBI director.

“Our partners in the Five Eyes are our greatest partners around the world, but we need all of them in New Zealand, here in the Indopacomm region, to get after the fight and put the mission first.”

While in Wellington, the embassy confirmed, Patel met with Intelligence Agencies Minister Judith Collins, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, Security Intelligence Service director-general Andrew Hampton and Government Communications Security Bureau director-general Andrew Clark.

Collins confirmed on Thursday afternoon she had a “great” meeting with Patel at the US Embassy, where the FBI office has been set up. Patel was the third FBI director she had met with over the years.

There was “a lot of good discussion around the need for the FBI and our intelligence agencies, as well as police, to work more closely together”, and the upgrade of the FBi office “has got to be a good thing”.

“It's about the transnational crime that we see, the increasing influence of major drug traffickers across the Pacific, but also interference in countries systems,” she said.

Asked if there was collaboration in countering the CCP, she said “only if there’s criminal activity”.

Peters said he discussed with Patel the law and order situation in the Pacific, where countries needed help.

“The purpose is to help seriously with crime fighting in the Pacific and other utilities and we need help, and all around the islands they will see the virtue and the value of that as well.”

Green Party intelligence agencies spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said the Government should not be “allowing foreign powers to set up shop like this”.

“We need to be independent, and so having them park up is …. it flies in the face of that.”

FBI had staff and established a “suboffice” of the Canberra office in Wellington in 2017, and the new “upgraded” office would continue to work with New Zealand agencies on joint investigations, information sharing, and a range of threats.

The office has been described as “a permanent Legat position”, which meant an FBI special agent, a legal attaché, would be posted to the office.

The FBI collaborates with the New Zealand police and intelligence agencies on terrorism, cybercrime and fraud, organised crime, child exploitation, and foreign intelligence threats, according to the US embassy.

Patel arrived in Wellington on Wednesday afternoon in a Department of Justice jet, flying from Sydney.

There had been no confirmation from ministers or the intelligence agencies about the meetings with Patel until Thursday afternoon, as all questions from The Post were referred to the US Embassy.