When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets Xi Jinping on Monday in Beijing, she will have been advised by agents of one of the most efficient intelligence services in the world. Most people outside New Zealand are unaware of how professional its security, intelligence and espionage services are, assuming the country has nothing but rugby, sheep and fresh air. New Zealand’s spies have particular relevance to its relationship with China: the country has engaged with China more energetically and more efficiently than almost any other non-Asian country, setting out a template for other democratic countries to follow.
