Diplomatic implications of critical infrastructure controlled by foreign private individuals
Sam Brown made this Official Information request to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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From: Sam Brown
Dear Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request any briefings, diplomatic cables, or advice to Ministers regarding:
1. Diplomatic concerns or foreign policy considerations related to New Zealand critical communications infrastructure being controlled by private individuals who have publicly intervened in foreign conflicts or demonstrated willingness to influence geopolitical outcomes through control of communications services.
2. Any representations made to the United States government, either directly or through diplomatic channels, seeking assurances regarding continuity, reliability, or political neutrality of commercial satellite communications services that New Zealand government agencies, emergency services, or critical infrastructure operators depend upon.
3. Analysis of foreign policy or sovereignty risks arising from key infrastructure being controlled by individuals or corporations who have demonstrated willingness to disable or limit services based on personal political positions, including documented examples such as Starlink service limitations during the Ukraine conflict or decisions regarding service provision to Taiwan.
4. Any advice provided to Ministers on whether New Zealand's increasing dependency on foreign-controlled satellite communications creates diplomatic constraints, intelligence-sharing complications, or obligations that require management through international agreements or bilateral arrangements.
5. Correspondence with Five Eyes partners discussing governance, security standards, or policy coordination regarding commercial satellite communications providers, particularly where those providers have contracts with foreign military or intelligence agencies.
Context: I am seeking to understand whether foreign policy implications have been considered in decisions to increase New Zealand's dependency on communications infrastructure controlled by foreign private individuals with documented history of geopolitical intervention.
Sam Brown
From: ENQUIRIES
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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From: ENQUIRIES
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Kia ora Sam
Thank you for your OIA request received on 05/01/26 for:
1. Diplomatic concerns or foreign policy considerations related to New
Zealand critical communications infrastructure being controlled by private
individuals who have publicly intervened in foreign conflicts or
demonstrated willingness to influence geopolitical outcomes through
control of communications services.
2. Any representations made to the United States government, either
directly or through diplomatic channels, seeking assurances regarding
continuity, reliability, or political neutrality of commercial satellite
communications services that New Zealand government agencies, emergency
services, or critical infrastructure operators depend upon.
3. Analysis of foreign policy or sovereignty risks arising from key
infrastructure being controlled by individuals or corporations who have
demonstrated willingness to disable or limit services based on personal
political positions, including documented examples such as Starlink
service limitations during the Ukraine conflict or decisions regarding
service provision to Taiwan.
4. Any advice provided to Ministers on whether New Zealand's increasing
dependency on foreign-controlled satellite communications creates
diplomatic constraints, intelligence-sharing complications, or obligations
that require management through international agreements or bilateral
arrangements.
5. Correspondence with Five Eyes partners discussing governance, security
standards, or policy coordination regarding commercial satellite
communications providers, particularly where those providers have
contracts with foreign military or intelligence agencies.
This email confirms receipt of your request and advises that we will
respond to it as soon as reasonably practicable, and in terms of the
timeframes and requirements of the OIA.
Please note that our response letter to you (with your personal details
redacted), and any enclosed documents, may be published on the Ministry’s
website.
Ngâ mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere
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addressee and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the
Ministry. It may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended
recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this message or
the information in it as this may be unlawful. If you have received this
message in error, please email or telephone the sender immediately ..
UNCLASSIFIED
From: ESD
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
[UNCLASSIFIED]
UNCLASSIFIED
Kia ora Sam Brown,
We are contacting you concerning your request, as we are wanting to clarify parts 1, 3 and 4 of your request.
As currently framed, we are unsure what specifically to search for to be able to provide you with information.
Could you please provide further information on these questions so we are best able to provide you with a response?
Please provide a response by 16 January 2026. If we do not hear from you, we will proceed with your original request.
Please note, any clarification or amendment of a request is considered to be a new request for the purpose of calculating the maximum statutory timeframe for response (section 15(1AA) of the OIA refers).
Ngā mihi
Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Brown <[FOI #33426 email]>
Sent: Monday, 5 January 2026 6:48 pm
To: ENQUIRIES <[MFAT request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Diplomatic implications of critical infrastructure controlled by foreign private individuals
[You don't often get email from [FOI #33426 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]
Dear Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request any briefings, diplomatic cables, or advice to Ministers regarding:
1. Diplomatic concerns or foreign policy considerations related to New Zealand critical communications infrastructure being controlled by private individuals who have publicly intervened in foreign conflicts or demonstrated willingness to influence geopolitical outcomes through control of communications services.
2. Any representations made to the United States government, either directly or through diplomatic channels, seeking assurances regarding continuity, reliability, or political neutrality of commercial satellite communications services that New Zealand government agencies, emergency services, or critical infrastructure operators depend upon.
3. Analysis of foreign policy or sovereignty risks arising from key infrastructure being controlled by individuals or corporations who have demonstrated willingness to disable or limit services based on personal political positions, including documented examples such as Starlink service limitations during the Ukraine conflict or decisions regarding service provision to Taiwan.
4. Any advice provided to Ministers on whether New Zealand's increasing dependency on foreign-controlled satellite communications creates diplomatic constraints, intelligence-sharing complications, or obligations that require management through international agreements or bilateral arrangements.
5. Correspondence with Five Eyes partners discussing governance, security standards, or policy coordination regarding commercial satellite communications providers, particularly where those providers have contracts with foreign military or intelligence agencies.
Context: I am seeking to understand whether foreign policy implications have been considered in decisions to increase New Zealand's dependency on communications infrastructure controlled by foreign private individuals with documented history of geopolitical intervention.
Sam Brown
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hide quoted sections
From: Sam Brown
Dear MFAT,
Thank you for seeking clarification. I am happy to provide more specific parameters for parts 1, 3, and 4:
Part 1 - Diplomatic concerns:
I am seeking any briefings, cables, or ministerial advice discussing diplomatic or foreign policy implications of New Zealand's dependency on Starlink/SpaceX satellite communications services controlled by Elon Musk, particularly in the context of:
- His documented intervention in Ukraine conflict (limiting Starlink service for Ukrainian military operations)
- His public statements on Taiwan and refusal to extend Starlink service there
His acquisition and control of social media platforms used for geopolitical influence
- Any MFAT assessment of whether reliance on infrastructure controlled by individuals who intervene in foreign conflicts creates foreign policy complications
Search terms: "Starlink", "SpaceX", "Elon Musk", "satellite communications", "critical infrastructure", combined with "foreign policy", "diplomatic risk", "sovereignty".
Part 3 - Foreign policy/sovereignty risks:
I am seeking any analysis or advice regarding:
- Risks from Starlink/SpaceX being New Zealand's primary rural connectivity provider while the same company's owner has demonstrated willingness to disable or limit services based on geopolitical positions
- Whether documented instances (Ukraine service limitations, Taiwan service refusal) have been assessed as precedents relevant to New Zealand's dependency
- Any assessment of what assurances or commitments New Zealand has (or lacks) regarding service continuity if geopolitical tensions arise
Search terms: "Starlink", "service reliability", "geopolitical risk", "Ukraine", "Taiwan", "infrastructure resilience".
Part 4 - Diplomatic constraints:
I am seeking any advice to Ministers regarding whether New Zealand's increasing use of Starlink/SpaceX for government agencies, emergency services, schools, or healthcare creates:
- Limitations on New Zealand's foreign policy independence
- Complications for intelligence sharing with Five Eyes partners due to US commercial satellite provider routing NZ traffic
- Requirements for bilateral agreements or diplomatic arrangements to ensure service continuity
Search terms: "Starlink", "SpaceX", "government use", "Five Eyes", "intelligence sharing", "diplomatic arrangements", "service agreements".
Timeframe: 2020 to present (covering period of Starlink's entry into NZ market)
Document types: Ministerial briefings, diplomatic cables, policy advice, threat assessments, correspondence with US government or Five Eyes partners, risk analyses related to critical infrastructure dependencies.
I am seeking to understand whether MFAT has assessed foreign policy implications of New Zealand's rural and emergency services becoming dependent on communications infrastructure controlled by a private individual with documented history of using that infrastructure to influence geopolitical outcomes.
Please confirm this clarification is sufficient.
Yours sincerely,
Sam Brown
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