SIS report reveals security threat

Director of Security Warren Tucker. Photo / Mark Mitchell

New Zealand faced a security threat last year which was countered by the Security Intelligence Service, a report presented to Parliament yesterday reveals.

But the SIS gives no details in its annual report other than a single sentence in a list of what it describes as its successes during the 2008/09 financial year, which ended on June 30 last year.

"We undertook successful counter terrorism operations which delivered important information about activities that posed a security threat," said Director of Security Warren Tucker.

The report also reveals that during the year, 24 domestic interception warrants were in force - 14 issued during the 2008/09 year and 10 which were issued during the previous year but remained in force for part of the year.

"Methods of interception and seizure used were telecommunications interception, listening devices and the copying of documents."

The report said the information obtained "materially contributed to the detection of activities prejudicial to security, or produced foreign intelligence essential to security, that was not likely to have been obtained by other means".

The Government Communications Security Bureau also presented its annual report but, like the SIS, gave few details of its operations.

"New Zealand's security environment over this last year has changed significantly, becoming more complex and unpredictable," said director Sir Bruce Ferguson.

"During this period the bureau continued to provide unique intelligence creating a decision-making advantage for the New Zealand Government, bringing a wide range of skills, products and services to bear on this goal."

In the report, Sir Bruce referred to "financial constraints placed upon the bureau over this last year" which he said made the challenges more daunting.

- NZPA