Rt Hon John Key Prime Minister
Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security: Advisory Panel members appointed
Prime Minister John Key today announced the appointments of Chris Hodson QC as the chair of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security’s Advisory Panel and Angela Foulkes ONZM as a member of the Panel.
The appointments were made by the Governor General and each is for a term of two years.
“These are the first appointments to the Advisory Panel, which was newly created with amendments to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1996 in September last year,” says Mr Key.
The Advisory Panel comprises the Inspector-General and two other members, one of whom must chair the Panel. The Panel’s role is to provide advice to the Inspector-General on request or on its own initiative. It may make a report to the Prime Minister on any matter relating to intelligence and security that it considers should be drawn to the Prime Minister’s attention.
Mr Hodson is a practising barrister and is also the Judge Advocate-General of the New Zealand Armed Forces and the Chief Judge of the Court Martial of New Zealand.
Ms Foulkes has extensive public and private sector consultancy experience and has served on a range of government sector advisory and regulatory bodies, including on state sector standards, educational qualifications and government sector structure. She served for more than a decade as first the Vice President and then the Secretary of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.
Mr Hodson and Ms Foulkes were appointed after consultation with Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, as is required by statute.
“The appointments of Mr Hodson and Ms Foulkes complete the strengthening of the Inspector-General’s office, enabling it to meet its important responsibilities for independent oversight of New Zealand’s intelligence community,” says Mr Key.
“I am confident they will form a strong team with Inspector-General Cheryl Gwyn and Deputy Inspector-General Ben Keith, both of whom have also been appointed within the past few months.”
ENDS