PILLAR is proud to announce the release of its much anticipated Foreign Influence Transparency Bill, a decisive step toward strengthening New Zealand’s sovereignty, security, and democratic resilience.

The Foreign Influence Transparency Bill, known as the FIT Bill, is designed to increase transparency around activities undertaken in New Zealand at the direction of a foreign principal. The Bill establishes a robust two tier Foreign Influence Transparency Register centred on disclosure, designation, and registration. It complements the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Act 2025 by ensuring that foreign interference is not only criminalised, but also exposed to public scrutiny.

“This legislation is about transparency, not paranoia,” said Nathan Seiuli, Executive Director of PILLAR. “New Zealanders have a right to know when foreign governments or their proxies are seeking to influence our political system, public debate, or institutions.”

Like minded liberal democracies such as Australia and the United Kingdom have both failed to get strong legislation across the line, despite having introduced foreign influence transparency regimes in response to escalating global interference threats. However, PILLAR believes New Zealand has the opportunity to lead the world by adopting a stronger and clearer framework.

“Other jurisdictions have struggled to implement effective regimes without watering them down,” said Seiuli. “New Zealand can set a new standard by putting sovereignty and democratic accountability first.”

The Bill was released at the International Symposium on Countering Foreign Interference, drawing strong interest from experts, academics, and cross party representatives, including members of the Inter Parliamentary Alliance on China.

The full Bill is available at nzpillar.com, where members of the public can review the proposal.

About PILLAR

PILLAR (Protecting Individual Life, Liberty, and Rights) is a civil society organisation dedicated to defending fundamental freedoms in New Zealand. Through research, advocacy, and education, PILLAR works to ensure that responses to modern challenges remain consistent with democratic values and the protection of individual rights.

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