- Posted May 09, 2025
- Media Releases
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has released declassified Cold War-era records about a Russian KGB agent operating in Wellington, as well as historical records about the activities of the Communist Party of New Zealand.
This is the second tranche of records to be released as part of NZSIS’s declassification programme. In October last year we released declassified records about New Zealand-based Nazi Party sympathisers from the mid-1930s up until the Second World War, and records relating to KGB intelligence officer Vladislav Andreyev, who was in New Zealand in the 1960s.
Why we’re declassifying historical records
The public release of historical records is part of NZSIS’s efforts to be more transparent. The nature of our work means it is often not possible to release information about our current activities, but we are committed to being as open as possible about historical subjects.
The declassification process requires a line-by-line review of documents to check contemporary classification settings and to redact any information that remains protected. This includes the identities of intelligence sources, names of current or previous NZSIS staff members, some sensitive personal information and some sensitive tradecraft secrets.
What we’re releasing in this tranche
The Shtykov records
Soviet intelligence officer Nikolaj Ivanovich Shtykov arrived in New Zealand in October 1960. He was based at the Soviet Legation in Wellington. Although his official title was Press Attaché, he attracted the immediate attention of the NZSIS as he replaced another identified Soviet intelligence officer.
During his time in the capital, Shtykov worked for the KGB as an active agent runner, trying to recruit government workers to gain access to intelligence about New Zealand’s political, economic and military policies.
Shtykov was expelled from New Zealand in July 1962, along with fellow KGB intelligence officer Vladislav Andreyev. Andreyev’s files were part of the first tranche of declassified files released by the NZSIS last year.
Communist Party of New Zealand
The declassified records relating to the Community Party of New Zealand (CPNZ) date from the 1920s through to the 1980s. The records cover work by both the NZSIS and its predecessor, the New Zealand Police Special Branch.
The Communist Party of New Zealand was of enduring interest to the NZSIS and Special Branch because of its avowed belief in violent revolution and its rejection of democratic government, which it believed only served the interests of the capitalist class.
Historically, the NZSIS was interested in countering espionage and subversion, which was formally recognised in 1969 with the passing of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Act. NZSIS monitored various organisations that were deemed subversive to see if they were attempting to exert influence over mainstream groups. The NZSIS’s interest in the CPNZ waned after Ombudsman Sir Guy Powles recommended in 1975 that higher priority be given to espionage and terrorism.