Spooks on Parade

The heads of many of the world’s spy agencies converged on Wellington this week, ostensibly to mark the 50th anniversary of New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service. According to radio station NewstalkZB, the gathering included “the Director of the CIA, the Director General of the British Secret Service and the Directors General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian SIS.”

The report says that “the gathering also formed part of an ongoing liaison relationship.” New Zealand’s role in the “intelligence community” has been written about extensively by Nicky Hager, whose latest book has been in the news this week, too.