IR-01-25-11365
22 April 2025
Oliver of FYI
[FYI request #30414 email]
Tēnā koe Oliver
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 13 March 2025 in which
you requested:
In 2023 during exam season, there were numerous bomb threats towards
organisations in Auckland, among which many were schools. It has been a few
years and I am wondering whether the origin of the emails was ever found and if
the motivations behind the bomb threats were related to the exam season.
Article about the incident: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-investigate-
concerning-emails-sent-to-schools-and-hospitals-across-new-
zealand/UXJ5BZF53ZFBDDMB5INUPYI7SQ/
The Police investigation into these threats was named Operation ARMIDALE
and over this period encompassed approximately 200 reported incidents. The threats
were made to a variety of different organisations including hospitals, courthouses,
private business, hotels and a large number of primary and secondary schools throughout
New Zealand.
Common aspects of each incident included the wording used to make the threat,
the nature of the threat itself, and the method of delivery to the victim organisations.
The threat messages were emailed to recipient lists that appear to have been obtained
from publicly available sources online.
I have responded to each part of your request in turn.
1. The origin of the threat
Police was not able to identify the origin of the threats, or the identity of any individuals
responsible for sending them.
The offenders in this campaign utilised widely available obfuscation methods to hide their
identities and locations. The threats were not limited to Auckland and covered a variety of
entities including schools.
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
2. The motivation behind the threats
Police does not believe that this bomb threat campaign was related to the 2023 New
Zealand school exam season.
The reasoning for this include:
I.
The campaign started on 23 November 2023 and continued through early
January 2024, well beyond the conclusion of exams. Whilst overlapping with the
end of New Zealand school exams, the campaign then continued over the
Christmas break. Many threat messages were not received until well after the
threats’ deadlines had passed because school staff were on holiday and not
monitoring emails. It should be noted that the North American school term
continued through this period.
II.
The methodology used and phrasing of the threats by the offenders in this case
aligns closely with publicly available information on online groups whose
motivation is terrorism or nihilistic ideology.
III.
There was a wide variety of different organisations targeted, not just schools.
IV.
In previous cases that have been attributed to students motivated to disrupt
education facilities, the method of operation and the formulation of the threat is
typically much more targeted. For example:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/466985/otago-uni-bomb-threat-woman-sent-
hoax-to-hide-failure-from-parents
Under section 28(3) of the OIA, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review this
decision if you are not satisfied with Police’s response to your request. Information about
how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Greg Dalziel
Detective Senior Sergeant
High Tech Crime Group
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