49210 (2025). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister responsible for the NZSIS

49210 (2025). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister responsible for the NZSIS: How many contractors, if any, were there in the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, as of 1 October 2025, and how many of them, if any, were former employees of the department that lost their roles or resigned from their roles since 1 October 2024?

Hon Judith Collins: I am advised that the NZSIS uses external contractors where specialist advice is not available internally. In addition, the NZSIS sometimes use cleared contractors to backfill positions during recruitment while security clearances are processed. It is not in the public interest for me to provide the number of contractors used by the NZSIS. However, I understand that none of the contractors listed as working for the NZSIS within the timeframe of this question were former employees of the agency that lost their roles or resigned from their roles since 1 October 2024.