ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff
SIS director-general Rebecca Kitteridge said government departments had been warned to watch out for infiltration from the far-right.
Analysis: The impact of Covid-19 in accelerating radicalisation and fuelling conspiracy theories could be felt for years to come, spy agencies say.
Intelligence agencies say there is a "realistic possibility" the Covid-19 pandemic will accelerate online radicalisation over the next year and "have a detrimental effect on the broader threat environment in the medium- to long-term".
The greater prominence of conspiracy theories and extremist sentiment stirred up by the pandemic, as well as more time to spend online during lockdowns, has created greater opportunities for New Zealanders to be exposed to "conspiracy theories, extremist content and disinformation" on the internet, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) found in its annual report. This, in turn, "could accelerate radicalisation and exacerbate or fuel Covid-19 pandemic-related grievances or conspiracy theories over the next 12 months".