A security sector ‘network’
The New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN) is a security sector-wide network promoting interdisciplinary information sharing, collaboration, and research between government, industry, and academia. Its aim is to raise awareness, promote professionalism, and champion good practice in relation to the protection of New Zealanders from emerging threats to their security.
The NZSSN was the founding organising body of the Women in Security Awards Aotearoa (WiSAA), which since 2020 has played an important role in recognising excellence among female Defence, Law Enforcement, and Security professionals – areas in which women are significantly under-represented. While responsibility for organising the Awards has passed to Defsec New Zealand, the NZSSN remains a support partner.
The NZSSN is also an official support partner of the New Zealand Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), which is an internationally recognised award program for security professionals hosted annually by the UK-based World Excellence Awards and ASIS International’s New Zealand Chapter.
A principled approach
Based on workshops among security sector professional and educational organisation representatives (including the NZSA, NZDIA, ASIS NZ Chapter, ISC2 Auckland Chapter, NZIPI, the Massey University Centre for Defence & Security Studies, CPNZ, and the University of Waikato New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science) that took place over three meetings in Auckland and Wellington in 2019, it was identified that the NZSSN champion the following principles:
- A sector that reflects the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi
- Evidence-based approaches to understanding security problems
- Security-by-design approaches to the design of goods, services and systems
- Legal and ethical security practices that safeguard individual rights and liberty
- Practices that reflect international standards and/or world-leading practice
- A non-government security sector working in the national interest
- The value of public-private partnership in enhancing national security
- Security as a visible and attractive career option for all
- Promoting professionalism and celebrating success across the sector
- Raising the profile of the role of under-represented genders and groups in security
The NZSSN is a cooperative network and independent non-commercial entity. It does not receive any form of sponsorship or funding, and is operated by an unpaid, voluntary secretariat.
