GCSB Tangimoana

The Government Communications Security Bureau operates what it describes as a radio communications interception facility [ [http://www.gcsb.govt.nz/aboutus/dcu.html About Us :: The Government Communications Security Bureau ] ] [ [http://www.justice.govt.nz/pubs/reports/2006/directory-of-official-information/list-g/3.html Ministry of Justice: publications and reports: 2005: Directory of Official Information 2005-2007: Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) ] ] at Tangimoana, 30 kilometres west of Palmerston North..

According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), the facility is part of ECHELON, the worldwide network of signals interception facilities run by the UKUSA consortium of intelligence agencies (which shares global electronic and signals intelligence among the Intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and NZ); its role in this capacity was first identified publicly by peace researcher Owen Wilkes in 1984. [ [http://www.euronet.nl/~rembert/echelon/sp.html Secret Power - Press and Praise ] ] , and investigated in detail by peace activist and independent journalist Nicky Hager. [ [http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/sp/sp_c2.htm Chapter Two: Hooked up to the spy network: The UKUSA system ] ]

The Tangimoana station is a sister operation to a similar facility run at Waihopai.

Operations

According to the FAS, the equipment at the Tangimoana facility "is equally capable of receiving signals transmitted by radio and satellite which do not include foreign intelligence and which are domestic concerning and involving NZ citizens." [ [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/new_zealand/gcsb/index.html Government Communications Security Bureau [GCSB New Zealand - Intelligence Agencies ] ]

References