Government Chief Information Security Officer (GCISO)

The Director-General of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) acts as the GCISO, and the NCSC provides support to this role.

The Government Chief Information Security Officer:

is responsible for the strategic direction and prioritisation of the New Zealand Government’s approach to information security,
uplifts the cyber resilience of the public service through a mandate provided by Cabinet,
is designated as the system lead for information security under the Public Service Act in 2022, and
offers services to protect the Government's most sensitive information.

The GCISO’s mandate includes the following tasks:

identifying systemic risks and vulnerabilities, and providing guidance to help manage them,
providing accreditation and assurance of highly sensitive systems,
providing high-grade encryption products and support to government agencies and selected commercial entities,
setting information security standards through the development and maintenance of the New Zealand Information Security Manual (NZISM),
collaborating and coordinating with other digital and data government leads – the Government Chief Digital Officer, Government Chief Data Steward, and Government Protective Security Lead – to support the secure digitisation of government,
carrying out assurance activities and developing cyber security frameworks,
providing investment advice to Treasury, and
working with ICT supply chain vendors – alongside the Government Chief Digital Officer – to ensure mandated digital technology and programmes are secure by design.