New Zealand Security Intelligence Service New Zealand PO Box 900, Wellington Security Intelligence Service P +s444726170 Te Pa Whakamarumaru F +64.4.472 8209 wuw.nasis,govt.ne 3 November 2021 Laura Walters Jaura.walters@stuff.co.nz Dear Laura, Official information request Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 21 September 2021 seeking information from the New Zealand Security intelligence Service (NZSIS) about advice and assistance regarding New Zealand Cricket’s trip to Pakistan. Specifically, you requested: + All correspondence and advice relating to the New Zealand cricket team’s travel to Pakistan, including, but not limited to: briefings, evaluations/reports, emails, texts and instant messages. ‘+ Please include advice provided before the trip, as well as that relating to the change in risk assessment, and the decision to leave Pakistan. Inote you have made the same request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). | should be clear that decisions regarding the tour and team's travel were entirely a matter for New Zealand Cricket. The Combined Threat Assessment Group is responsible for providing independent assessments to inform the National Security System and wider government agencies of the physical threat posed by terrorism to New Zealanders and New Zealand interests. We have collated and assessed the information in-scope, and it includes six documents, as well as approximately 70 email chains with a lot of repetitive and duplicated content, Most of the email chains are between more than one government agency, particularly the NZSIS, MFAT and DPMC. This means that there is information that is repeated across the OIA requests you have made to each of these agencies. After reviewing the documents and correspondence specific to the NZSIS, we have determined that a large proportion of the content must be withheld under section 6(a) of the OIA, to protect the security or defence of New Zealand and the international relations of the New Zealand government. In order to protect the interests covered by section 6(a) and provide you with the information in a more readable format we have decided to meet your request by providing you with a summary of the information you have requested, as allowed under section Page 1 of 416(1)(e) of the OIA. Please find the summarised information attached. The summary captures correspondence and advice issued by the NZSIS and CTAG; some internal correspondence has been withheld in full under s6(a), as it would reveal operational details and processes. If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact oia.privacy@nzsis.govt.nz. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision, Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602. Yours sincerely ‘ibcecx Kitlensolye Rebecca Kitteridge Te Tumu Whakarae mo Te Pa Whakamarumaru Director-General of Security Page 2 of 4Summary of correspondence and advice relating to the New Zealand Cricket team’s travel to Pakistan in September 2021 This timeline has been prepared in response to an Official Information Act 1982 request for correspondence and advice relating to the New Zealand Cricket teams travel to Pakistan in September 2021. 21 July 2021: The Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) provides a verbal threat assessment about New Zealand Cricket's Tour to Bangladesh and Pakistan to the Major Events Security Committee. 2 July 2021: CTAG issues a Threat Assessment regarding the New Zealand Cricket Tour to Bangladesh and Pakistan. The document includes an assessment of the threat from terrorism and violent protest in Bangladesh and Pakistan generally, as well as threat assessments specific to the proposed New Zealand Cricket Tour. The document was sent to a variety of customers, both within the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) as well as the wider national security sector, including MAT and DPMC. 5 August 2021: CTAG and DPMC plan for a meeting with a New Zealand Cricket employee regarding the threat assessment for the proposed tour and authorised content which could be shared with the New Zealand Cricket Board to inform their decision-making. 6 August 2021: CTAG emails OPMC to confirm that the planned meeting with the New Zealand Cricket employee is still going ahead on Tuesday 10 August. © CTAG asks if there is value in continuing with plans to meet, noting an announcement by Pakistan Cricket Board regarding confirmation of dates for New Zealand's tour in September/October and a comment from New Zealand Cricket Chief Executives that New Zealand Cricket were looking forward to returning to Pakistan. © DPMC advises that at this stage the meeting would continue as planned, noting that the New Zealand Cricket Board had not made a decision regarding winether or not the tour would go ahead, and that the briefing from CTAG would help inform any decision, 10 August 2021: Representatives of CTAG, MFAT and DPMIC meet with the New Zealand Cricket employee, during which CTAG presents its threat assessment for the New Zealand Cricket employee's use when briefing the New Zealand Cricket Board on the threat environment in Bangladesh and Pakistan. 17 September 2021, 8.28 am: CTAG identifies new intelligence reporting (received in CTAG holdings at approximately 8.00 am on 17 September 2021) regarding a specific and credible threat against the cricket matches between Pakistan and New Zealand, Page 3 of 417 September 2021, 9.00 am: MFAT are advised that CTAG would be issuing a threat ‘warning related to the Cricket Tour, and that the threat level was being moved upwards 17 September 2024, 9.14 am: CTAG issues Threat Warning regarding attack planning against New Zealand cricket team. This was shared with all relevant customers, including members of the Major Events Security Committee, 19 September 2021: NZSIS Communications Team liaises with DPMC and MFAT regarding media enquiries about the tour. 20 September 2021: CTAG issues a Threat Insight on potential threats from the cancellation of New Zealand Cricket's tour of Pakistan. Page 4 of 4