Turei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTurei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 August 2015. Volume:707;Page:5703. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister in charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service: Does he stand by the Prime Minister’s statement regarding the legislative framework of New Zealand’s intelligence agencies that “there are a range of deficiencies that they have identified”?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (Minister in charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service): Yes although the Prime Minister made that statement about the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Act 1969 not—as the member said—“the legislative framework of New Zealand’s intelligence agencies”.Metiria Turei: What specifically are those deficiencies?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: The particular deficiency that I would identify is that the Act was last comprehensively reviewed in 1969 and is expressed in 1969 language. It also focuses very heavily on issues of warrants and authorisations and it may not accurately reflect all of the current work of the agency.Metiria Turei: Do these deficiencies mean that the SIS is currently engaged in activities that are not authorised by the law?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: No. The word “deficiency” does not signal necessarily a contravention of the law; it suggests the inability to do something that it would otherwise be useful to do. It may also in my opinion suggest the difficulty of applying language drafted in 1969 to modern technology. These are matters for the reviewers to consider and I am sure both reviewers are going to do a very professional and competent job.Metiria Turei: So what did the Director of Security mean when she said that “The authorising framework for all of that work is not in the legislation …”?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Well the director could have been referring to for example an ordinary everyday activity of an employee of the SIS in talking to people and it may be that it is adequate to spell out in the legislation all the various activities of SIS employees when undertaking their tasks.Metiria Turei: Will the Minister rule out any expansion and extension of the SIS’s current powers to spy on New Zealanders?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: I think “spying on New Zealanders” is pejorative. What the SIS is doing in actual fact is ensuring that all New Zealanders can enjoy the liberties that they were entitled to from the day they were born. What I am going to do for the benefit of the honourable member is wait until the review by Dr Cullen and Dame Patsy Reddy has been completed and then I hope to be able to see legislation drafted that reflects modern conditions and is expressed in modern language.Metiria Turei: Will the Minister rule out any expansion and extension of the powers of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to spy on New Zealanders?Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON: Well I could repeat myself and I probably will for the benefit of that member who does not seem to have listened to the previous answer. The purpose of the GCSB is not to spy on New Zealanders but is as expressed in its legislation to safeguard the liberties of New Zealanders particularly against foreign threats. This Government has undertaken a review of all the intelligence legislation to ensure that it is up to date and that both agencies serve their core purpose of operating under the rule of law to protect and enhance the freedom of all New Zealanders. Moreover any agency that has great powers must necessarily be properly supervised by Parliament and by the inspector-general.