Documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden suggested Mr Azevedo and other candidates were spied on by the GCSB during the selection process. Secondly, under the law at the time, the GCSB had a statutory responsibility to provide foreign intelligence assistance in support of New Zealand's foreign policy objectives. Mr Little said he did not believe the GCSB's actions met the test of being in the interests of national security. The GCSB had in place practices and process that provided for assessing the benefits and risks of foreign intelligence activity, "including risk to the GCSB's political neutrality''. The inspector-general has made three recommendations to strengthen GCSB practices, which the director of the GCSB has accepted.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 20, 2017 20:03 UTC