Katene Rahui: Standing Orders—Sessional Intelligence and Security Committee — Membership 
Katene Rahui: Standing Orders—Sessional Intelligence and Security Committee — Membership 
[Volume:652;Page:1865] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 Ernest Hemingway made a statement that in many ways could be the mission statement for the Intelligence and Security Committee. He said: “The best ammunition against lies is the truth there is no ammunition against gossip. It is like a fog and the clear wind blows it away and the sun burns it off.” In this city of four seasons in a day there has been more than enough gossip and lies speculation and secrets associated with the Intelligence and Security Committee. The Maori Party has with some reluctance been drawn into many of these scenarios as the press has brought certain allegations to our attention. 
Information loosely reported in the media suggested that our networks associates and even ironically the new member of the Intelligence and Security Committee have been investigated. There was the sensational scandal some 5 years ago named Operation Leaf in which computer geeks had supposedly been contacted by the SIS to plant bugs in the computers of Maori organisations. The Sunday newspapers were full of breaking news revealing that the secret computer bugs would be frantically gathering intelligence on iwi business negotiations finances Treaty claims and inter-tribal communications. 
The riding instructions for Operation Leaf were supposedly to watch out for dirt on Maori leaders. I will not come to the House today and say that this is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. For a start we had no way of knowing what really went on no basis to judge the veracity of the journalistic reporting and no insider briefing on what was mandated or authorised by the New Zealand intelligence community. But the point that I want to raise is not so much about the allegations but more about the response made to them. 
The immediate action taken by our co-leader Mrs Turia to the allegations swirling around the SIS was to write to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security retired judge Justice Paul Neazor to ask him to initiate an immediate inquiry into the SIS. One would think that the opportunity to ask questions and to challenge speculation would be a basic standard of a healthy democracy. Yet the reaction the party received at that time did little to engender respect claiming the allegations were “laughable” and that the whole situation was “a work of fiction.” 
What we are dealing with in this motion is the committee that is responsible for Parliament’s oversight of New Zealand’s intelligence services including the SIS. It is an extremely serious context for considering matters that cut to the very bone of some basic principles of our democracy such as transparency integrity privacy confidentiality and credibility. These are not matters we take lightly. They are not matters to be laughed at. Every new allegation and every new piece of information before the committee should be examined in the full light of day. Scoffing at the very basis of any allegation is neither appropriate nor wise. It is therefore a complete turn-round of events that 5 years on the Maori Party is now being invited to join the membership of this important statutory committee. We are extremely proud to speak to the Government motion around the membership of the committee and to confirm our support for Tariana Turia to take up her position at the table. 
The time when concerns were raised around Operation Leaf was not of course the only time that the Intelligence and Security Committee has provoked interest. There was also concern about the surveillance that was attached to Aziz Choudry whose home was broken into in 1996 during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation trade Ministers’ meeting. Of course there have been as many concerns raised by outside commentators as there have been allegations raised in the press. 
Probably one of the strongest descriptions of the work of this committee was that put forward by Murray Horton who claimed: “The SIS and its nominal political masters still operates an absurd and anachronistic culture of secrecy.” That is fairly strong language for a committee that is of such significance to the upholding of national security. Another description of this committee was provided by Auckland Council for Civil Liberties president Barry Wilson who said that parliamentary oversight of the SIS was inadequate and was simply a “rubber stamp” for the SIS’s activities. 
I wanted to lay down this foundation during this debate because we in the Maori Party believe it is absolutely vital nay fundamental to any freethinking democracy that all issues are put on the table and that speculation is laid to rest. The role of the Intelligence and Security Committee to examine the role policy administration and expenditure of each intelligence and security agency must be done in such a way as to avoid any smokescreens any fog and any attempts to hide. If there is any ambiguity to be tested we are absolutely certain that with a committee of the calibre of the proposed membership it will be tested by the ilk of that committee. 
We soundly commend the Prime Minister for his wise choice of appointing the Hon Tariana Turia and the Hon Rodney Hide to the committee just as we commend the decision by the Leader of the Opposition Phil Goff to appoint Russel Norman. They will be a formidable team and we in the Maori Party wish them well in the interests of national intelligence and security and in the interests of a healthy functioning democracy. Kia ora. 
Motions agreed to.