NZ attending US event with focus on far-left terrorism

New Zealand will be represented at a meeting of foreign officials in Washington DC this week, which the US State Department intends to have a focus on addressing “far-left” terrorism.

The summit, to be hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has raised the eyebrows of several foreign representatives, who anonymously told the Washington Post they were unsure why they had been invited, as left-wing terrorism wasn’t considered a high-priority threat in their countries.

Following reporting in the US of about 60 countries being invited to the meeting, the Herald this week asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) whether New Zealand would be in attendance and the purpose of being there.

A spokesperson today confirmed New Zealand had been invited and would be represented by the deputy head of mission at the country’s embassy in Washington DC.

“This will allow us to hear from Secretary Rubio and other senior US administration figures on their counterterrorism focus,” they said.

“Attendance gives New Zealand the opportunity to talk to our threat landscape and the New Zealand Government’s approach to protecting New Zealand and its people through a coordinated, effective counter-terrorism system, with a key focus on prevention and to hear the perspectives of other countries.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting the event this week. Photo / Getty Images

The Washington Post reported a State Department spokesperson as saying the event had been organised as far-left terrorism was “re-emerging with strong transnational links and new convergences”.

A note sent to diplomats about the meeting reportedly said the event was about the “resurgence of political terrorism”, with a focus on “far-left terrorists”, who it said were “increasingly turning to organised, deadly violence to advance their political objectives”.

The State Department on Sunday posted on X (formerly Twitter) saying that due to “overwhelming interest”, the event was being expanded to “additional countries who are working to combat the growing international threat of far-left violence”.

The latest security threat analysis published by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service last year doesn’t specifically identify far-left extremism as a significant threat.

The report said, “polarising issues” online were “driving support for a range of violent extremist ideologies within New Zealand” and “no one ideology currently stands out as presenting a greater threat”.

The 2024 version of that report said there were a “small number of individuals who adhere to Politically-Motivated Violent Extremist (PMVE) ideologies in New Zealand”, with their narratives primarily focused on anti-authority themes.

According to the Washington Post report, officials from some foreign governments, who were speaking anonymously, were dismayed by the invitation. They said they were unsure why they had been invited or why the US thought they would be interested in attending.

“We don’t have Antifa,” a European diplomat told the publication.

US President Donald Trump has previously rallied against Antifa, which last year he labelled as a domestic terrorist organisation.

A report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies research organisation in 2025 said the US had experienced an increase in the number of “left-wing terrorism attacks and plots, although such violence has risen from very low levels and remains much lower than historical levels of violence carried out by right-wing and jihadist attackers”.

“So far, 2025 marks the first time in more than 30 years that left-wing terrorist attacks outnumber those from the violent far right.

“Despite its decline this year, right-wing terrorism could easily return to previous high levels. It is important to resource counterterrorism efforts against both right- and left-wing terrorism and work with communities to gain their support against extremists.”

Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.