At the end of 2024, the Critical Infrastructure Resilience work programme led by DPMC was rescoped to focus on managing cyber risks. This reflects the need to support critical infrastructure entities to collectively understand and address cyber risks at a time when cyber threats are escalating.
The Government continues to take a broad approach to strengthening critical infrastructure resilience by considering the range of potential impacts to critical infrastructure from across our National Risks. In December 2024, Cabinet agreed a National Risk and Resilience Framework. The intent is to ensure that government is being strategic and proactive in efforts to manage risks and build resilience to the biggest hazards and national security threats that could potentially derail us as a country.
New Zealand is one of the most hazard-exposed countries on the planet, with our critical infrastructure system facing a unique set of complex geographic risks.
Our current infrastructure needs to be well placed to face these longstanding challenges, or and the increasing and new challenges of the 21st century such as:
- climate change, which can exacerbate the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
- a deteriorating geopolitical environment, which is heightening threats to our national security.
- economic fragmentation, which is making it harder and more expensive to secure critical goods and services.
- technological change, which while enhancing efficiency is also creating new vulnerabilities – including to cyber attacks.
Have your say
Public consultation on this work took place in mid-2023 and focused on the limits of New Zealand’s current regulatory approach to critical infrastructure and the need for reform. You can find the discussion document and submissions we received here: Critical Infrastructure Phase 1 Consultation - Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet - Citizen Space (dpmc.govt.nz)
DPMC continues to progress work to develop regulatory and non-regulatory options to improve the cyber security of critical infrastructure. As we take this work forward, updates can be found on this page.