New Zealand Soldier Convicted in Landmark Espionage Case

A New Zealand military court has found a serving soldier guilty of attempted espionage — marking the country’s first-ever conviction for spying.

The serviceman, whose identity and the foreign nation involved remain suppressed by court order, admitted to offering sensitive military information to what he believed was a foreign agent. The person he attempted to contact was in fact an undercover officer posing as a foreign operative.

During the court-martial, it was revealed that the soldier had offered to share maps, photographs, and classified material, including an assessment of vulnerabilities at Linton Military Camp, as well as access codes and information about nearby Ohakea Air Base.

“He could get a covert device into Army Headquarters,” the prosecution read from a summary of facts.

An Unprecedented Case

The soldier is the first individual in New Zealand’s history to be convicted of espionage, and only the second person to be tried on such charges — the first being a public servant acquitted in 1975.

He pleaded guilty to attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose, and knowingly possessing an objectionable publication.

Among the digital evidence found in his possession were:

• A video recording of the March 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, in which 51 people were killed by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant
• Tarrant’s manifesto
• Service ammunition at his residence

Extremist Ties and Defection Plans

According to prosecutors, the soldier became a person of interest after the Christchurch attacks, when law enforcement increased surveillance of right-wing extremist groups. Authorities discovered that he had expressed a desire to defect and had “made contact with a third party, indicating that he was a soldier who wanted to defect.”

Undercover agents then approached him under the guise of representing a foreign nation.

He provided telephone directories for military bases and offered assistance with unauthorised access.

In a written affidavit read aloud by his lawyer, the soldier confirmed his involvement in extremist groups including Action Zealandia and the Dominion Movement, which he described as “a positive experience.”

“I’m a proud New Zealander,” he wrote.
“Both groups were a positive experience for me… They were not terrorist groups.”

He also insisted he did not condone the Christchurch massacre:

“I found the attack shocking.”

Tensions in the Courtroom

During the hearing, the soldier became visibly emotional. He wiped away tears as evidence was presented, with his wife also weeping and his father visibly distraught, often burying his head in his hands.

He accused investigators of aggressive treatment during the probe:

“All I wanted to do was leave New Zealand and get to what I thought was safety. That was my only motivation.”
“I was interviewed in a very confrontational way,” he claimed, calling the investigation “aggressive” and “violent.”

Sentencing Pending

The court-martial, presided over by a military judge and a panel of three senior officers, is set to continue for at least two days. Although the court accepted the soldier’s guilty plea, the process remains ongoing as the panel now deliberates on the appropriate sentence, which is expected to be delivered within days.