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Scope and Role of the Group
For the purposes of the ET Policy Working Group, emerging technologies are defined in terms of
their at ributes, which are: (i) radical novelty; (i ) relatively fast growth; (i i) coherence; (iv) prominent
impact; and (v) uncertainty and ambiguity. Prominent impact in this context includes “the potential to
exert a considerable socio-economic impact” on society.1 This definition allows the Group to
distinguish between technologies that are emerging and have a pervasive effect on the economy
and society, such as AI, and other technologies that are may have a significant impact in a particular
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area but do not pass the prominent impact test required to bring them within the scope of the Group.
Key tasks of the Group include:
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a. Developing principles to underpin New Zealand’s approach to emerging technology
opportunities and risks to form the basis of a national framework;
b. Establishing a threshold for evaluating national security risks of emerging technology;
c. Reviewing national security implications of emerging technology that meet this threshold in
light of the developed principles (including opportunities and risks);
d. Evaluating the adequacy of existing legal and regulatory frameworks to manage the national
security risks of emerging technology;
e. Developing risk mitigation strategies for national security risks of emerging technology;
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f. Identifying priority areas (including technology domains) for policy attention, including through
activities like horizon scanning;
g. Providing policy advice on national security risks of emerging technology and possible risk
mitigation strategies; and
h. Maintaining shared resources and tools.
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The Group wil prioritise these work areas when developing a forward work programme for the year.
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Governance and Reporting
There is no formal reporting requirement. The ET Policy Working Group may choose to report to
the Security and Intelligence Board, other governance bodies, and Ministers on a case by case
basis.
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Meeting Arrangements
The ET Policy Working Group will be co-chaired by MBIE and DPMC and wil meet at least once
every 6-8 weeks. MBIE will serve as the group’s secretariat and wil coordinate the working group
meetings, including circulating the meeting agenda and providing meeting summaries for group
members. Papers or documents required for the working group should be submitted to the
secretariat no later than 6 working days prior to a meeting date. The secretariat will circulate the
papers to group members no later than 3 working days prior to the next meeting. Workshops
and/or intersessional sessions wil be held as needed.
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Terms of Reference wil be reviewed annually.
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Membership
The ET Policy Working Group members are drawn from policy, science, regulatory and intelligence
communities from across the public sector. The composition of the Group is intended to create a
balance between both risk and opportunity-focused agencies. Given the national security subject-
matter, it is advisable that members hold a SECRET clearance.
Agencies represented include:
MBIE
Office of the PM’s Chief Science Advisor (DPMC)
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DPMC
NAB (DPMC)
MFAT
JDGO (NZSIS and GCSB)
DIA
LINZ
MoT
MoD
MPI
NZDF
Police
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Other agencies or organisations may be asked to join on an ad hoc basis or participate in the Group
for specific projects.
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