Spying on university campuses by the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) may be threatening academic freedom, says a report.
Commissioned by the Association of University Staff, the report recommends an inquiry into the SIS, including how its operations affect universities.
Author Dr Donald Savage, a Canadian higher education consultant, said people spoke to him about the role of the SIS while he was touring New Zealand universities.
A case involving Christchurch activist Aziz Choudry, whose house was broken into by SIS agents in 1996, had also heightened concerns over who the organisation was targeting.
There was historical proof that universities and academics had been spied upon. In 1966, an inquiry was held after an SIS officer was discovered operating at the University of Auckland; in his autobiography, historian Keith Sinclair described how New Zealand security forces tried to censor his biography of former Prime Minister Walter Nash; and in 1994 a former SIS agent claimed her unit targeted diplomats, union leaders, university lecturers and suspected communists.
Dr Savage wanted a review of the SIS, the Government Communications Security Bureau and the surveillance activities of the Criminal Intelligence Service of the police.
Prime Minister Helen Clark dismissed the new report, saying the issues it raised had already been dealt with by select committee last year.
"As a former university academic I'm a strong supporter of academic freedom [but] as far as I'm aware the SIS has absolutely no interest in the activities of academics," she said.
In his report, Dr Savage suggested introducing safeguards which already applied to the Canadian Secret Service, such as there being no covert action on university campuses without the written approval of the minister.
"The operations of the security services can have an impact on academic freedom and the institutional autonomy of universities, and have done so in many democratic countries, including New Zealand," he said.
At the time of the Choudry search, police also searched the house of Canterbury University lecturer David Small. The role of the police criminal intelligence service in the search is at present under litigation.
Critics of changes to SIS legislation that were announced last year argued the changes were merely cosmetic.
Changes included Prime Ministers losing the right to direct the SIS to spy on individuals, and interception warrants to spy needing the approval of a retired High Court judge as well as the Prime Minister. - NZPA
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