A message purporting to be from Anonymous appeared on Occupy Dunedin's Facebook page early yesterday, along with those of the Occupy Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland movements.
The message claimed Anonymous shared the protesters' cause and already had "elements" inside New Zealand's occupation camps.
"We wish you peace, solidarity and success in your endeavours. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us," it said.
The message came days after Anonymous posted a clip on online video sharing site YouTube, warning Toronto authorities would be "removed from the internet" if they proceeded with plans to evict Occupy Toronto protesters.
The group of online activists had previously claimed responsibility for online attacks that disrupted the Visa, MasterCard and PayPal services, after the companies cut ties with WikiLeaks.
In March, Anonymous also released a video threatening to disrupt the website of the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand, following the launch of controversial internet filtering, but the attack failed to occur.
The group has also released a series of videos discussing the global Occupy movement, but none appeared to mention Dunedin.
The Dunedin City Council has also issued Octagon protesters with trespass notices, but police have so far refused to enforce them, citing legal advice.
Occupy Dunedin protester Bert Holmes said he was not aware of any protesters at the Octagon camp with links to the hacking group - but then, "as the name states, they're anonymous".
"There's a lot of people that come and go. Who's to say whether they're Anonymous or not?"
He believed the Occupy and Anonymous groups were "fairly linked" and working together overseas, particularly in North America and Europe, but less so in New Zealand.
There were "many multiples of groups" involved in the Occupy movement, and Anonymous would "have their own plans", he said.
"If there are people active within these [New Zealand] camps, then cool. It's their right to express their opinion.
"I guess we'll find out."
He did not "necessarily" condone the type of denial-of-service cyber attacks the group was known for, which could disrupt websites for days, but said Anonymous' tactics were "up to Anonymous, as a separate group from Occupy".
"It's up to them to take responsible action, but at the same time I don't really know whether anyone has the power to stop them from doing what they want to do, if they want to do it."
