Intelligence and Security Act 2017

Consequential amendments

Schedule 2: Databases accessible to intelligence and security agencies

You could also call this:

"What information spy agencies can look at, like births, citizenship, and border crossings"

Illustration for Intelligence and Security Act 2017

The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) can access certain databases. You can think of a database like a big collection of information. The GCSB and NZSIS can look at information about births, deaths, marriages, and name changes, which is held by the Registrar-General.

The GCSB and NZSIS can also access information about citizenship, which is held by the Secretary for Internal Affairs. They can look at information collected by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment about people coming into New Zealand. The New Zealand Customs Service collects information about people and goods crossing the border, and the GCSB and NZSIS can access this information too.

The GCSB and NZSIS can access other information, like financial intelligence, which is held by the New Zealand Police. The NZSIS can also look at information about people who might be a threat to their employees, and information about firearms, which is also held by the New Zealand Police. Some of these terms have special meanings, like "birth information" and "citizenship information", which are defined in other laws, such as the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 and the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on 3 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6921493.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Police and safetyGovernment and voting > Government departmentsRights and equality > Privacy

Schedule 1: Transitional, savings, and related provisions, or

"Changes and rules that helped when the Intelligence and Security Act 2017 started"

Schedule 3: Administrative provisions, or

"Rules for the people who help keep New Zealand safe"

2Databases accessible to intelligence and security agencies Empowered by s 125

This table is small in size and has 3 columns. Column 1 is headed Accessing intelligence and security agency. Column 2 is headed Information. Column 3 is headed Holder agency.
Accessing intelligence and security agency	Information	Holder agency
GCSB and NZSIS	Birth information Civil union information Death information Marriage information Name change information	Registrar-General

GCSB and NZSIS	Citizenship information	Secretary for Internal Affairs

GCSB and NZSIS	Information collected in connection with the performance or exercise of a function, duty, or power under the Immigration Act 2009	Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment

GCSB and NZSIS	Information about border-crossing persons, goods, and craft that has been collected in connection with the performance or exercise of a function, duty, or power under the Customs and Excise Act 1996	New Zealand Customs Service
GCSB and NZSIS	Financial intelligence information	New Zealand Police
NZSIS	Information about people and locations identified as posing a possible physical threat to GCSB or NZSIS employees	New Zealand Police
NZSIS	Information about people and firearms collected in connection with the performance or exercise of a function, duty, or power under the Arms Act 1983, to be used for the purpose of assisting Police in determining whether a person is a fit and proper person to possess firearms or airguns	New Zealand Police
Note In this schedule,— birth information, death information, marriage information, civil union information, name-change information, and Registrar-General have the meanings given to them by section 4 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 citizenship information means information that relates to the acquisition or loss of citizenship by, or to the citizenship status of, any person financial intelligence information means information held by the Commissioner of Police in the performance of his or her financial intelligence functions specified in sections 142 and 143 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 GCSB means the Government Communications Security Bureau NZSIS means the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service.

Notes

Schedule 2: amended, on 24 June 2023, by section 107(2) of the Arms Legislation Act 2020 (2020 No 23).
Schedule 2 note: amended, on 15 June 2023, by section 147 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 (2021 No 57).