NSA/GCSB spying shown on NZ television

20/20 today had a segment on the operation of the GCSB (Government 
Communications Security Bureau), the trading name of the NSA in New Zealand.
This was motivated by the recent publication of Nicky Hagers book "Secret 
Power" which goes into great detail about the operation of the GCSB (it has 
floor plans of the monitoring stations, details of operations, staff, names 
and contact numbers, etc etc - it's a very well researched book covering the 
day-to-day running of an intelligence agency).
 
In the 20/20 segment, Nicky and a reporter managed to get through the security 
perimeter at the Waihopai base with a camera and ladder, climbed up to the 
windows, and shot footage of the interior of the base through 
improperly-closed curtains.  The main operations room had racks of equipment 
which is hard to identify (it's not a very good shot), along with tables 
containing PClone monitors and HP II's[1].  Unfortunately the resolution isn't 
good enough to show what's being displayed on the monitors.  Another shot of 
an office showed a desk with Intelsat operations manuals, providing, for the 
first time, direct proof of whose traffic is being monitored - not the 
Russians, not the Chinese, but NZ's pacific neighbours and trading partners.  
The intercepted traffic is then passed straight back to the NSA for analysis.
AFAIK there's never been any direct, documented proof of what these bases are 
intercepting - the dishes are pointed in the right direction for intercepting 
Intelsat transmissions, but the various agencies have been able to deny the 
nature of the interception.  The footage of operations manuals on a desk would 
seem to prove beyond a doubt that the agencies are engaged in large-scale 
interception and monitoring of civilian communications.
 
It was rather unfortunate that the program was shown at the same time as the 
political leaders debate on another channel (we have an election in four days 
time), because virtually noone will have watched 20/20.
 
Peter.

[1] Given that the windows looked like plain glass and that these things have 
a control zone that reaches halfway to Antarctica, I'd love to park outside 
the base with certain pieces of receiving equipment...

pgut001@cs.auckland.ac.nz wrote:
> 20/20 today had a segment on the operation of the GCSB (Government
> Communications Security Bureau), the trading name of the NSA in New
> Zealand. This was motivated by the recent publication of Nicky Hagers
> book "Secret Power" which goes into great detail about the operation
> of the GCSB (it has floor plans of the monitoring stations, details of
> operations, staff, names and contact numbers, etc etc - it's a very
> well researched book covering the day-to-day running of an
> intelligence agency).

[some text deleted]

> AFAIK there's never been any direct, documented proof of what these
> bases are intercepting - the dishes are pointed in the right direction
> for intercepting Intelsat transmissions, but the various agencies have
> been able to deny the nature of the interception.  The footage of
> operations manuals on a desk would seem to prove beyond a doubt that
> the agencies are engaged in large-scale interception and monitoring of
> civilian communications.

[more text deleted]

A good primer for U.S. citizens on that area of the world can be found 
in a document called "The Opal File - the Round Table financial takeover 
of Australia and New Zealand".  Time period covered is May 1967 to Feb. 
1987.  Names mentioned include:

Hunt, Nelson B.
Muldoon, ? (N.Z. finance minister)
Onassis, Aristotle
Colby, William
Parsky, Gerald
Hand, Michael
Maheu, Robert
Rockefeller, David
Sindona, Michele
Wriston, Walter
McCloy, John J.
Brierly, Ron
Seldon, Bob
Nugan, Frank
Jones, Bob
Fletcher, J.C.

There are many other names, it's a great document, and the size is 
relatively small, about 59 kb.