Speaker Gerry Brownlee has warned that threats against New Zealand MPs have risen "astronomically" in recent years, as new figures show Parliament's specialist security team handled 216 requests for help in just three weeks. The warning comes after an attack that left an Australian MP critically injured and cost her a leg, an event condemned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee has sounded the alarm as RNZ revealed Parliament's Security Information, Risk and Advisory Service (SIRAS) handled 216 requests for advice or support between 28 September and 18 October, and was deployed 81 times.
Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero told RNZ the specialist team supported MPs attending public events, travelling, dealing with protests and responding to threatening behaviour. The service had expanded to meet growing demand, with extra capacity added ahead of the election amid fears security risks would increase. Parliament would not disclose details of specific incidents for security reasons.
Brownlee said the attack on the Australian MP would have left Australian politicians feeling deeply unsettled, and New Zealand MPs were not immune. "They're not that far away from us."
The Speaker blamed growing public frustration, financial pressure and global instability for fuelling the hostility. "When some people get a feeling of not being in control, then they really do react in all sorts of adverse ways." He also pointed the finger at the media, accusing it of reducing complex political issues to soundbites and treating democracy like entertainment. "It's all this five second stuff."
Asked whether politicians themselves were contributing to the hostility, Brownlee defended robust debate in Parliament, saying attacking a policy was not the same as attacking a person. He stressed that most New Zealanders abhorred political violence, but warned the country was not insulated from volatile forces overseas, particularly with inflammatory content readily available online.
Brownlee feared continued intimidation could eventually drive politicians away from the communities they represent. "The last thing we'd want is for politicians to become anonymous from the communities they represent because there's too many threats." He said people willing to stand for public office should be "applauded", not frightened away. "Democracy is a relatively fragile thing."
Increasing threats over the past three years had forced closer cooperation with police, he said, describing the current arrangement as "the strongest protocol we've ever had with the New Zealand Police."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Rising threats against MPs directly affect democratic representation: Brownlee warns intimidation could drive politicians away from the communities they represent.
- The 216 requests in three weeks show a heavy and growing security burden on Parliament as the 2026 election approaches.
- New Zealand is not insulated from global political volatility, and the attack on an Australian MP shows the risk is regional, not distant.
Background
Attacks and threats against elected officials have become a growing concern in several democracies in recent years, as public frustration and inflammatory online content feed hostility toward politics. In this case, an Australian MP was critically injured and lost a leg in an attack condemned by Australia's Prime Minister, putting parliaments across the Tasman on alert. In response, New Zealand's Parliamentary Service has expanded its specialist security team, which advises and supports MPs facing threatening behaviour, protests and other risks.
Key Perspectives
Speaker Gerry Brownlee: The Speaker says threats have risen astronomically, fuelled by public frustration, financial pressure, global instability and inflammatory online content. He argues attacking a policy is not the same as attacking a person, and warns that a fragile democracy requires people to be willing to stand for office without fear.
Parliamentary Service: Chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero says the security team supports MPs at public events, while travelling, dealing with protests and responding to threats. The service has added capacity ahead of the election amid fears the risk would increase.
Media and MPs: Brownlee was asked whether politicians themselves contribute to hostility, and he defended robust parliamentary debate. He also criticised the media for reducing complex issues to soundbites and treating democracy as entertainment, a charge that bears on how political conflict is amplified.
What to Watch
- Whether demand on SIRAS continues to climb through the 2026 election campaign, and how much further parliamentary security expands.
- The strength of the new cooperation protocol with New Zealand Police, which Brownlee calls the strongest ever.
- Any further incidents of political violence in the region, which could accelerate security measures in New Zealand.