By Eugene Bingham and Tony Allen
WELLINGTON - Nuclear-weapons manufacturers have been foiled trying to buy raw materials in New Zealand, the Security Intelligence Service revealed yesterday.
SIS chief Don McIver said there had been two cases of countries trying to get around international arms embargoes by buying materials through New
Zealand companies.
But in another rare glimpse of the work of the SIS yesterday, it was claimed that the phones of prominent Maori lawyers had been tapped.
Moana Jackson and Taki Anaru, of the Maori Legal Service, have complained to the Inspector-General of Intelligence that their Wellington offices were bugged.
Both revelations came during Parliament's intelligence and security committee's hearing of submissions on a proposed law change giving the SIS the power to break into private property.
Outside the committee, Mr McIver said his agents had detected cases of countries trying to buy source materials for the production of nuclear weapons through New Zealand businesses.
He refused to identify the countries or the companies involved in the transactions, but said the goods were "support equipment - high-quality ceramics, steels, a range of equipment."
In both cases, agents had discovered the transactions before the purchases went through, and the companies had been approached.
"What we do is go to the people and draw their attention to what is happening and what they are actually being invited to do. They've said, `Oh, my God. I'm not going to do that'."
Later in the day, the heat went on the SIS when Mr Anaru said he was waiting for an indication whether bugs found in an office sweep before Christmas belonged to the SIS.
"We're not going to let the matter rest. If I don't get a satisfactory answer from [the inspector-general] I'll be going to the police, because it's an unauthorised interception."
Hinting at reasons he and Mr Jackson might be targets, Mr Anaru said: "We're involved in a number of high-profile cases against the Crown and we advocate Maori sovereignty."
But Mrs Shipley said she could assure him that legal professional privilege was strictly observed and phone conversations between lawyers and clients would not be listened into.
Pictured: Don McIver.
