Oppose the Intelligence & Security Bill

Submissions are being called on for the new Intelligence and Security Bill – but we say it is time to draw a line in the sand. The unrelenting expansion of the NZ Intelligence Community must be stopped.

A brief over-view of the last few years shows how relentless the changes have been:

Since 2007 the NZ SIS Act has been amended a half a dozen times. In 2011 the Video Surveillance Bill became law; a year later the Search and Surveillance Bill was passed. This was followed in 2013 by two changes: the TICS Bill (the Telecommunications Interception Capability and Security) and the GCSB and Related Legislation Amendment Bill, a Bill passed by two votes. At the end of 2014 the Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill became law.

There has also been a seemingly never-ending series of reports, reviews and a concerted PR blitz:

In 2009 there was the Murdoch Report of the SIS, GCSB and EAB. In 2011 Pipitea House was opened enabling most of the NZ intelligence community to operate under one roof and thus uniting the intelligence culture. In 2012 Paul Neazor reported on GCSB spying in relation to the Dotcom saga, this was followed in March 2013 with the Kitteridge Report on the GCSB and then in 2014 the State Sector Review of the intelligence community was released. In 2015 the Cullen and Reddy Intelligence Review began and there was a lot of talk of ‘Jihadi Brides’.

Get Smart - the People's Review of the Intelligence Agencies

The Intelligence Review is a review of New Zealand's intelligence services being conducted by Michael Cullen (ex-politician) and Patsy Reddy (lawyer and board member). It is nothing but a rubberstamp for mass surveillance and the Five-Eyes.

To help compensate for the lack of public consultation, the NZ Council for Civil Liberties is hosting public meetings in Wellington (July 29th) and Auckland (August 6th). They are inviting people to go along to have their say about what should happen to the GCSB, the SIS, and New Zealand’s participation in the Five Eyes spy network.

Drone Die-In at NZ National Party Conference

Demanding the dismantling of the GCSB and the exiting of NZ from the 'Five Eyes Club', people opposing New Zealand´s involvement in the so-called "drone wars" staged a die-in outside the annual National Party Conference in Wellington during John Key´s closing speech Sunday, 29 June.

Motivated by the Prime Minister´s recent comments that he is "quite comfortable" to provide GCSB assistance to the US to murder "bad people" and his absurd comment that he thought it was legitimate to "prosecute" New Zealand citizens and others with Hellfire missiles, the "dirty wars" was taken to the doors of the National Party.
 
At the conference, a symbolic drone struck down those who were "targeted" as well as bystanders. 

"Just like real drones, this one produces plenty of collateral damage," said Valerie Morse, member of OASIS. "When John Key says he is comfortable with drone strikes, he is really saying he is comfortable with extra-judicial assassinations, because that is what they are."

"New Zealand is complicit in the US´s dirty wars around the globe. Through our involvement in the Five Eyes, information gathered by the GCSB is shared with the NSA."

"The US is waging an undeclared war in countries like Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan and probably soon Iraq."

"The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has been given a free reign to kill any target that it believes to be a possible threat to US security, without any accountability or control."

"Since Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama has taken office, more than 2600 people have been killed in more than 400 drone strikes. Is that really something anyone can be comfortable with?"

"New Zealand must leave the Five Eyes club and the GCSB must be dismantled." 

Nationwide protests against GCSB Bill

On Saturday, July 27 at 2pm there will be protests and demonstrations against the GCSB bill around the country.

The Wellington demo will start at the bucket fountain on Cuba Mall and go to parliament. Protests in other cities are:

Auckland: 2pm Aotea Square
Hamilton: 2pm Garden Place
Napier: 2pm Memorial Square
Nelson: 2pm Halifax Street
Christchurch: 2pm Bridge of Remembrance
Dunedin: 2pm Octagon

The protests are organised by a group called 'Stop the GCSB Bill'. 

March Against the Police State

From: The Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill
 
'There will be an urgent protest march on Saturday, October 1st at 2pm
starting from Cuba Mall stage to oppose the government's plan to
retrospectively legalise illegal video surveillance by the police,' said
Batch Hales, member of the Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance
Bill.
  
'The State is set to legalise unlawful video surveillance by police to
cover cases already before the criminal courts.  In doing so, they are
validating illegal conduct deliberately engaged in by the police. They
plan to pass this law under urgency within the next week. This is an
outrage. People across the country are deeply concerned about this issue.
We must stop this further fundamental assault on our freedoms and roll
back the expanded police state.'
  
'Most people will have heard that John Key wants to legalise police
breaking the law and planting secret surveillance cameras inside people´s
homes so that it applies retrospectively - eg. to cases that have already
been investigated and are now being prosecuted. That is, quite simply,
contrary to fundamental constitutional principle and a serious violation
of individual human rights. It is the police who should be prosecuted.'

SIS Amendments - “We Do Not Need to Know.”

Keith Locke, Helen Kelly and Nicky Hager will be joining forces in Wellington on Tuesday, 1^st February, to discuss the expanded powers of the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) that will be rushed through Parliament in the coming month.

John Key introduced the SIS Amendment Bill in the House just before Parliament broke up for summer. Submissions close on 18^th February.

“It gives little time for public discussion, but that's what Key prefers,” said Anna Cocker from OASIS, the group organising the meeting. “Key wants secrecy about this Bill. He does not want public scrutiny of it.”