Far-right activist has left Army

The New Zealand Defence Force says a man who reportedly posted online about forming a terror cell in New Zealand is no longer in the military.

And it is confident it has the systems to weed out any extremists, after concerns the Defence Force was being infiltrated by far-right activists.

Australian activist group White Rose Society claimed a NZ Army soldier, based in Palmerston North, had posted on private message boards online about forming terror cells in this country and buying firearms on the black market.

A NZDF spokeswoman confirmed the man enlisted in the Army as a private in 2014 but that he left in December 2016. His reasons for leaving were not known.

The claims about the former soldier came after another Army member was arrested in December at Linton Military Camp. A far-right religious group claimed online he was a member. He has been charged with “unauthorised disclosure of information” which could “prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand”, and accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose.

The cases raised concerns the military had become an extremist breeding ground.

“Infiltration of the military and police is a specific tactic of the fascist right,” said Auckland Peace Action member Valerie Morse.

The NZDF spokeswoman said it had “well established mechanisms” to deal with actions and behaviour which breached regulations or went against its values.