The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) has released his annual report for 2021-22.
The Inspector-General provides independent oversight of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) and the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).
The report discusses significant issues that arose during the year as well as inquiries and reviews completed by the IGIS and currently under way.
“The matters we’ve examined this year range from the extent to which the NZSIS can undertake disruption activities, to the GCSB’s support to a foreign partner signals intelligence system,” says the Inspector-General, Brendan Horsley.
“We have also contributed to a coordinated review of the actions of the NZSIS, New Zealand Police and Department of Corrections regarding the LynnMall supermarket attacker. This review, done with the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) and the Corrections Inspectorate, will report publicly later this year.”
“We currently have one inquiry and nine reviews under way. In the past year we published unclassified reports on three reviews and completed classified reports on other reviews which I expect to report on publicly in the year ahead. We reviewed 63 warrants issued to the agencies and dealt with 24 complaints against them.”
“Our annual report shows how oversight of the intelligence and security agencies continually evolves as they develop and in some areas expand their activities.”
“A number of matters come back to the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, which is currently under review. My office has engaged with the reviewers, especially given our significant experience with the Act and our interest in ensuring effective oversight.”
The IGIS is required to certify in the Annual Report the extent to which the NZSIS and GCSB have sound compliance procedures and systems in place.
“This year’s report continues to rate the GCSB’s compliance systems as well-developed across the five main areas we assess,” says Mr Horsley. “The NZSIS rated lower in one area this year due to a significant number of policies overdue for review.”
The annual report is available on the IGIS website: www.igis.govt.nz
Media contact (on behalf of the Inspector-General): Joe Locke, 021 636 416