MIL OSI – Source: Pacific Media Centre – Report published with permission of the Pacific Media Centre Headline: Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) Day: Militarisation in the region
MIL OSI – Source: Federal Republic of Nigeria – Report: Headline: Health Minister urges EU support for Ebola affected countries BRUSSELS (Federal Ministry of Health Report) – The Supervising Minister of Health, Khaliru Alhassan (Dr) has called on the European Union (EU) to support the concept of medical diplomacy with concrete long term solutions in the health sector to help strengthen health infrastructure and systems of developing nations. He particularly mentioned those nations whose economy and healthcare systems had been affected adversely by the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The Minister made this call in Brussels, Belgium in his address at the European Union (EU) High-level International Conference on Ebola lately. Khaliru Alhassan observed that the concept of medical diplomacy has emerged strongly in recent times due to frequent outbreaks of diseases with great pandemic potential. He added that as long as the Ebola Virus Disease remains prevalent in any country, the entire world stands at risk. While sharing Nigeria’s experience and ability to speedily contain the Ebola Virus Disease, he attributed Nigeria’s success to strong government leadership, effective control measures put in place to interrupt transmission of the virus, collaboration among the various tiers of government as well as robust multi-sectoral cooperation, early community engagement and aggressive public enlightenment. Khaliru Alhassan stressed that close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centre for Disease Control, (CDC), the European Union CDC, China CDC, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and other development partners as well as civil society groups is paramount in containing the disease. He further disclosed that Nigeria is doing everything possible to prevent a resurgence of the virus. He noted that a $41 million dollar plan is being evolved for the nation’s post-containment preparedness, prevention and control of the Ebola Virus Disease. He revealed that the EU High-Level International Conference on Ebola was organized to take stock of the fight against the outbreak, coordinate further action for total eradication of the disease and to discuss the recovery process in countries which have been most affected by the disease. – – ]]>
MIL OSI – Source: Amnesty International NZ – Press Release/Statement: Headline: Saudi Arabia: 10 brutal facts beyond the Raif Badawi case This marks eight weeks since the Saudi Arabian authorities publicly flogged the blogger and activist Raif Badawi, sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for “insulting Islam” and founding an online forum for political debate. After his first session of 50 lashes in front of a mosque in Jeddah on 9 January, a doctor advised prison authorities that his wounds had not healed sufficiently for him to undergo the second round of this brutal punishment. The following Friday, while a medical committee had advised that Raif Badawi should not be flogged because of high blood pressure, another prison doctor insisted that there was nothing wrong with him and that he should be flogged. Then, for five consecutive weeks the Friday floggings were not carried out for reasons that remain unknown. It is anybody’s guess whether the next part of his sentence will be carried out tomorrow. Raif Badawi has made headlines around the world. But his case is just the tip of the iceberg for the Gulf Kingdom’s appalling human rights record. Here are 10 sobering facts from Amnesty International’s research: 1. Cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments Saudi Arabia’s courts continue to impose sentences of flogging as punishment for many offences, often following unfair trials. Besides Raif Badawi, in the past two years the human rights defenders Mikhlif bin Daham al-Shammari and Omar al-Sa’id were sentenced to 200 and 300 lashes, respectively, and Filipino domestic worker Ruth Cosrojas was sentenced to 300. Amputations and cross-amputations are also carried out as punishment for some crimes. 2. Spike in executions Saudi Arabia is among the world’s top executioners, with dozens of people being put to death annually, many in public beheadings. So far this year 40 people have been executed – almost four times the equivalent number for this time last year. 3. Crackdown on activists Besides Raif Badawi, dozens more outspoken activists remain behind bars, simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. The authorities have targeted the small but vocal community of human rights defenders, including by using anti-terrorism laws to suppress their peaceful actions to expose and address human rights violations. 4. No space for dissent All public gatherings, including demonstrations, remain prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those who defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”. 5. Systematic discrimination against women Women and girls remain subject to discrimination in law and practice, with laws that subordinate their status to men, particularly in relation to family matters such as marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. Women who supported a campaign against a de facto ban on women drivers face the threat of arrest and other harassment and intimidation. 6. Routine torture in custody Former detainees, trial defendants and others have told Amnesty International that the security forces’ use of torture and other ill-treatment remains common and widespread, and that those responsible are never brought to justice. 7. Arbitrary arrests and detentions Scores of people have been arrested and detained in pre-trial detention for six months or more, which breaches the Kingdom’s own criminal codes. Detainees are frequently held incommunicado during their interrogation and denied access to their lawyers. Some human rights activists have been detained without charge or trial for more than two years. 8. Entrenched religious discrimination Members of the Kingdom’s Shi’a minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face entrenched discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Shi’a activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. 9. Mass deportation of migrant workers According to the Interior Ministry, a crackdown on irregular foreign migrant workers in November 2013 led to the deportation of more than 370,000 people. Some 18,000 were still being detained last March. Thousands of people were summarily returned to Somalia, Yemen or other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses. 10. What happens in the Kingdom, stays in the Kingdom The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organizations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact us. Take Action: Five ways you can help Raif Badawi
MIL OSI – Source: National Party – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Te Matatini showcases outstanding kapa haka
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry has congratulated Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival organisers for another outstanding celebration of Maori traditional performing arts.
The festival is the world’s largest celebration of Maori performing arts, attracting more than 30,000 performers, supporters and visitors over the four days.
This is the first time the event has been held in the South Island for more than twenty years.
“It’s really encouraging to see the festival in Christchurch where it’s making a dynamic and valuable contribution to the cultural recovery post-earthquake,” Ms Barry says.
“Kapa haka is about more than just the performance, it’s intrinsic to our New Zealand culture and identity and helps define who we are on the world stage. Research shows what a positive contribution kapa haka makes in the wider sense to our society and to better health and educational outcomes as well as its economic value,” she says.
Manatu Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, is Te Matatini’s principal funder and the annual funding of $1.248 million provides more than half its income.
“This year’s event reinforces my intention to not only continue this Government’s support for Te Matatini, but to work closely with the Board over the coming year to explore the ways we can contribute further to its future work and growth.”
“Te Matatini has some exciting ideas for expanding future investment in kapa haka. There is a desire to build the capability of kapa haka across the country by extending the professional development Te Matatini offers to rohe. There may also be opportunities to make better use of benefits from its intellectual property.”
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MIL OSI – Source: Pacific Media Centre – Report published with permission of the Pacific Media Centre
Headline: Pacific Scoop: Thousands protest in NZ against Pacific-wide free trade
Thousands of New Zealanders turned out in protests across the country today against a Pacific-wide free trade deal claimed to be “selling out” the people’s future.
Protesters took to the streets in rallies in 22 towns and cities against the unpopular Trans-Pacific Partnership being pushed by Prime Minister John Key’s government against widespread opposition.
More than 3000 people marched in Auckland alone with a symbolic “Trojan horse” representing the TPPA being pulled along by corporate groups and an “Uncle Sam” character representing United States interests.
Many New Zealanders claim the TPPA will undermine the country’s sovereignty.
“It is about old-style imperialism. An Anglo-Saxon corporate ‘Old Boys’ club’ with modern technological toys,” said one rally organiser.
Groups of doctors opposed to the consequences for the New Zealand health system if the TPPA goes ahead were among those prominent in the march.
Trade block
The TPP aims to create a regional free trade block involving 12 Asia Pacific countries: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam,
The Auckland rally gathered in the central city Myers Park and then marched down Queen Street.
Radio New Zealand reported that in Wellington hundreds of people marched from Midland Park to Parliament.
In Christchurch, almost 3000 people were reported to have gathered in Shand’s Crescent in Addington before a march to Hagley Park.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
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MIL OSI – Source: United Nations – Press Release/Statement: Headline: Security Council condemns use of chemical weapons in Syria 6 March 2015 The Security Council today adopted a resolution strongly condemning the use of any toxic chemical, such as chlorine, as a weapon in Syria and stressing that those who use such weapons must be held accountable. According to the adopted resolution –put forth by the United States– the Council expressed deep concern that toxic chemicals have been used as a weapon in Syria which was the conclusion with a “high degree of confidence” by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) Fact-Finding Mission. To that end, the Council reiterated that the use of toxic chemicals as a weapon would constitute a violation of Council resolution 2118 (2013). Under the text, the Council recalled its decision that Syria “shall not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or, transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or non-State actors.” Member also reiterated that no party in Syria should use, develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer chemical weapons. Additionally, the Security Council expressed support for the OPCW Executive Council decision of 4 February 2015 to continue the work of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission, in particular to study all available information relating to allegations of use of chemical weapons in Syria. Members welcomed the intention of the OPCW Director-General to include further reports of the Mission as part of his monthly reports to the Security Council. Stressing that those individuals responsible for any use of chemicals as weapons, including chlorine or any other toxic chemical, must be held accountable, the Council called on all parties in Syria to extend their full cooperation to the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission. Lastly, the Council also recalled its decisions in resolution 2118, and in this context decides in the event of future non-compliance with resolution 2118 to impose measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. –]]>
MIL OSI – Source: United Nations – Press Release/Statement: Headline: Funding shortfall forces UN to scale back food aid to Syrian refugees in Turkey 6 March 2015 - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today said “a critical shortage of funding” has forced it to reduce the number of Syrian refugees it can assist through an innovative electronic voucher system in Turkey, which hosts the largest number of asylum-seekers fleeing fighting in neighbouring Syria.
WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told reporters in Geneva today that in January, her agency had been able to assist 220,000 refugees in 20 camps throughout Turkey, but that last month, it had been forced to reduce that number to 154,000, after having to withdraw from 9 camps.
Ms. Byrs said predicting donation amounts is a “real challenge” as it is necessary to know those amounts before informing refugees outside of camps that WFP would launch assistance, but knowing that WFP would require $9 million each month for its assistance to Syrian refugees, a funding shortfall of $71 million in donations is being projected for all of 2015.
Since 2011, WFP has been providing food assistance to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees in Turkey through an innovative electronic voucher (e-food card) system, Ms. Byrs said, adding that the system has made it possible for refugees to buy their food in shops like anybody else.
“Unfortunately,” she explained, “due to a critical shortage of funding, WFP is unable to provide assistance at the same levels as before.”
Ms. Byrs emphasized how important that system is for refugees, saying that Turkey has welcomed the highest number of Syrian refugees, estimated at 1.7 million in 20 camps across the country.
Turkey had already spent $4.5 billion to protect and assist the refugees since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, and that since 2011, she said, WFP had injected almost $700 million into the Turkish economy through its e-food card program and large-scale food purchases.
WFP’s Syria Crisis emergency response, which provides life-saving food assistance to more than four million Syrians who have been displaced across all 14 governorates of Syria in addition to at least two million Syrian refugees in the Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt, in addition to Turkey. Inside Syria, WFP provides food rations, while refugees in the neighbouring countries primarily receive assistance through WFP’s electronic food vouchers programme that allows them to buy the food they need from local shops.
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MIL OSI – Source: Commerce Commission – Press Release/Statement Headline: Commission targets ‘opt out’ pricing as Air New Zealand agrees to change how it sells travel insurance The Commerce Commission is calling on New Zealand businesses to scrap the use of ‘opt out’ pricing after gaining agreement from Air New Zealand that it will end its practice of pre-selecting travel insurance for customers when selling tickets online. The Commission is concerned that companies may be misleading consumers into purchasing something they didn’t intend to by requiring them to ‘opt out’ of buying additional goods or services during an online sales process. After receiving the Commission’s views, Air New Zealand wrote to the Commission to advise that it intends to move to an ‘opt in’ basis as the method of selling travel insurance from April. Commerce Commission Chair Dr Mark Berry said the Commission has issued Air New Zealand with a formal warning. No further action will be taken as the Commission considers its concerns will have been addressed if the change is implemented as agreed. “We are pleased that Air New Zealand decided to respond to our concerns and will ensure consumers aren’t unintentionally paying for products they may not want or need in the future,” Dr Berry said. “We will be targeting other companies we are concerned about. We would encourage all businesses selling online to proactively change their behaviour or drop any consideration of introducing this practice. We believe Air New Zealand made the right decision and other businesses should follow their example.” Dr Berry said it is the Commission’s preference that all companies employ an ‘opt in’ approach when selling add-on products to consumers online, to avoid any possibility of breaching the Fair Trading Act. “Consumers are perfectly capable of deciding for themselves whether they want to pay for additional products or services. If a company is concerned that its customers need insurance then a suitable approach is to require them to tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in a mandatory field and leave it in their hands.”
MIL OSI – Source: Labour Party – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Equal pay for International Women's Day
A successful court case that paves the way for better pay for work performed predominantly by women is in no way a justification for the Government to weaken laws around equal pay, Labour’s Women’s Affairs spokesperson Sue Moroney says.
“Sunday is International Women’s Day and the best gift this Government could give New Zealand women is a promise that it won’t tamper with the law to stop women like rest home worker Kristine Bartlett from getting paid what their work is worth.
“The outcome of this court case would do much to close the gender pay gap, which National says it wants to do, but it first has to take a positive approach to valuing women’s work.
“National has made no progress on achieving its targets for greater economic independence, women’s leadership or improved safety for women.
“In fact it has gone backwards on some measures – we now have in Minister Louise Upston someone who has even suggested beauty pageants are a way forward for New Zealand women.
“That is a sure sign the Government has no new ideas.”
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New Zealand Report by Selwyn Manning – Recorded live on 6/03/15. A team of investigative journalists began this week to reveal how the New Zealand Government has been spying on a massive scale on a host of Pacific nations. Also a World War II veteran has received a medal from Vladimir Putin. ITEM ONE: A team of investigative journalists began this week to reveal how the New Zealand Government has been spying on a massive scale on a host of Pacific nations. The spying has been a part of the United States-led Five Eyes alliance that includes the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The investigation is a collaborative effort between the New Zealand Herald, investigative journalist Nicky Hager, and the US news site The Intercept. The reports are based on a cache of official documents released by US whistleblower Edward Snowden – and are being referred to as the Snowden Revelations. The documents reveal New Zealand has been intercepting all communications taking place in the South/West Pacific and parts of Melanesia. Since 2009, New Zealand’s signals surveillance spy agency the GCSB, or Government a communications Security Bureau, has been operating a Full-Take collection protocol, the technology provided by the United States. Once New Zealand’s spy agency acquires the communications, the data is transferred to the United States’ National Security Agency – the NSA. The information is then able to be accessed by US, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand intelligence analysts. The data acquired goes further than just meta-data, but includes all email correspondence, all telephone and cellphone calls, all texts or SMS, all social media comments and chats. Specifically, the information feeds into the NSA’s X-Keyscore system and provides the five Eyes spies with analytics on everything communicated within the targeted Pacific nations including: Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Nauru, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, and French Polynesia. It is understood that while all communications taking place within the countries is acquired, the operation also targets prime ministers, government officials, opinion shapers, and non government organisations. Meanwhile New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key said yesterday (Thursday): “Some of the information was incorrect, some of the information was out of date, some of the assumptions made were just plain wrong.” More reports are scheduled to be published on Saturday and Sunday. ITEM TWO: Stan Douglas, a WWII veteran, this week wandered down to his letterbox and found an interesting official-looking package. On opening it he realised he had been awarded Russia’s prestigious Ushakov Service Medal, by Vladimir Putin! Russia’s Ambassador to New Zealand, Valery Tereshchenko, wrote in an accompanying letter: “The President of the Russian Federation Mr Vladimir Putin decorates you for your participation in the Arctic convoys of the Allied Forces to the Russian Northern sea ports during the Second World War”. During the war Stan served on the HMS Javelin, which accompanied supply ships to the northern Russian port of Murmansk. – He remembers it as hell with freezing, rough conditions and his ship being targeted by German destroyers, bombers and U-boats. About receiving the medal, Stan said: “This one was quite a surprise.” New Zealand Report is broadcast live on Five AA Australia and webcast on EveningReport.nz, LiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz.]]>
MIL OSI – Source: Africa Press Organization – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Liberia releases last Ebola patient – flash quote from MSF
Liberia releases last Ebola patient – flash quote from MSF
MONROVIA, Liberia, March 5, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Commenting on the news that Liberia has released its last Ebola patient, Vickie Hawkins, Director of MSF UK, said:
“This is an encouraging sign for Liberia. However, there is no room for complacency as the number of new Ebola cases in the region has risen this week.
“From the outset, this outbreak has been characterised by its unpredictability and geographic spread. People move easily over the porous borders that separate Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, so until 42 days pass without a new case in any of the three worst affected countries we need to remain vigilant.
“There are serious gaps that persist in the response. Significant improvements need to be made in contact tracing and surveillance, and we still need to improve regional coordination. Practical collaboration between surveillance teams based in each country need to be implemented as soon as possible to avoid importing new cases into areas considered Ebola-free.”
MIL OSI – Source: European Union – Press Release/Statement
Headline: An informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers takes place in Riga On 6-7 March the Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs will host a two-day informal meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers.
The ministers will discuss the political tension in Libya, as well as the current developments in Ukraine and the EU’s relations with Russia. Likewise, preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit will be considered. The ministers will also exchange opinions on the review of the European Security Strategy.
One of the sessions will review the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). A discussion with participation of foreign ministers from EU candidate countries will address developments in the EU’s neighbourhood.
The informal or the so-called Gymnich meeting is a traditional gathering of the foreign ministers of the European Union, organised by the Presidency. The meetings are chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and feature strategic discussions on the EU’s foreign and security policy goals and instruments.
No binding decisions are adopted during the Gymnich meetings. They provide an opportunity for ministers to discuss issues of current importance in an informal atmosphere.
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MIL OSI – Nationwide day of action against TPPA: “Ignore us at your peril” government warned
“The lead-up to Saturday’s protests against the TPPA shows the commitment of people across the country to send a message that the government can’t ignore”, said ItsOurFuture spokesperson Edward Miller.
A video shows young activists publicising Saturday’s nationwide protests with footage from Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, and Nelson.
Action in the 22 centres starts at 10am in Raglan and many of the larger centre marches begin at 1pm, including Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
“People have been incredibly creative”, Miller said. “In Christchurch a giant plain-packaged cigarette packet will be marching in the crowd, while Auckland will be led by an enormous Trojan Horse, locked in a tug-of-war between major commercial interests and activist communities.”
“Around the country everyday kiwis will be photographed for a virtual campaign with signs saying ‘I am a ___________ and I say #TPPANoDeal.’ Already this campaign has been very popular.”
“Trade minister Tim Groser needs to recognise that people don’t buy the ‘trust me’ line. They want to be listened to when they say they don’t want the TPPA. And they deserve to be listened to.”
[caption id="attachment_825" align="alignleft" width="679"]
Tell The Government TPPANoWay.[/caption]
Headline: Bringing Māori arts home to Northland
March 2015
Prominent Māori artist Kura Te Waru-Rewiri is looking forward to the launch of NorthTec’s newest degree programme.
Kura, who was born and raised in the Far North, is the senior tutor for the Maunga Kura Toi – Bachelor of Māori Art, which starts later this month.
Kura has been at the forefront of many contemporary Māori art developments in Aotearoa and in the establishment of Māori art education at tertiary level. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections both nationally and internationally.
As an acknowledged senior artist in mainstream and Te Ao Māori, she believes that the NorthTec Bachelor of Māori Art will open the door to many employment opportunities, including business, teaching, tourism, public galleries and museums. The qualification has a strong focus on business, which is a compulsory strand, and also offers the choice of specialising in teaching or curatorship.
Kura said: “This new qualification will work toward positive outcomes for the North. We have a very strong presence of artists of whakairo (carving), raranga (weaving) and rauangi (Māori visual arts) who have often voluntarily given their services to their communities. They now have an opportunity to gain a qualification in their specialist arena.”
Kura is a graduate of the Ilam School of Fine Arts (University of Canterbury) and has been teaching since 1975. She has taught at a number of New Zealand institutions, including secondary schools, tertiary colleges, universities and Whare Wananga.
She was one of the first two Māori appointments to the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, alongside prominent Māori artist Selwyn Murupaenga. In 1996 she joined Robert Jahnke and Shane Cotton, both high-profile artists and educators, as a lecturer in Māori Visual Arts at Massey University in Palmerston North. Kura has also been acknowledged as a Māori arts advocate and mentor, whose work has marked some significant turning points in the development of contemporary Māori art.
Her paintings are held in prestigious collections such as Wellington’s Te Papa Museum, Auckland Art Gallery, Waikato Museum of Art & History, Dunedin Art Gallery, The University of Auckland and the National Art Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Kura said that historically, the North was where the contemporary Māori art movement had its beginnings in the 1960s, due to the Tovey Māori Arts Advisory group. During her time as a pupil at Paihia Primary School she was exposed to the teachings of this advisory group and encouraged to produce a carved pou, which she did at the age of 13.
Kura feels that she was born into the contemporary Māori art movement, being involved with the development of government funding to assist the growth of the subject’s significance within the tertiary environment, including polytechnics, wananga and universities.
She is excited, therefore, to be able to bring Māori art education “home” to Northland through the NorthTec Maunga Kura Toi. Kura said: “Now is the time for Te Tai Tokerau to move towards higher levels of learning, and make its presence felt through strengthening indigenous art connections.”
The degree programme starts on 23 March, with a limited number of places still available. For information or to enrol, contact NorthTec on 0800 162 100, or visit www.northtec.ac.nz.
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Headline: West Coast flooding, particularly Westport and surrounds
Updates to Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Managementhttp://www.civildefence.govt.nz/page-not-found/allchanges West Coast flooding, particularly Westport and surroundsFri, 06 Mar 2015 12:44:14 +1300MPI confirms fourth fruit fly find in controlled areahttp://www.civildefence.govt.nz/resources/active-emergencies/mpi-confirms-fourth-fruit-fly-find-in-controlled-area/ <div><em>Title has changed:</em>MPI <del>confirms fourth</del>fruit fly <ins>response continues</ins><del>find</del>in <ins>Auckland</ins><del>controlled area</del></div> Mon, 23 Feb 2015 13:30:15 +1300http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/resources/active-emergencies/mpi-confirms-fourth-fruit-fly-find-in-controlled-area/MPI confirms fourth fruit fly find in controlled areaTue, 24 Feb 2015 14:00:10 +1300MPI confirms fourth fruit fly find in controlled areaMon, 23 Feb 2015 13:40:10 +1300MPI confirms fourth fruit fly find in controlled areaMon, 23 Feb 2015 12:50:03 +1300Queensland Fruit Fly found in Grey Lynn area, updatedMon, 23 Feb 2015 10:00:14 +1300Queensland Fruit Fly found in Grey Lynn area, updatedSat, 21 Feb 2015 12:30:03 +1300February 2015 e-BulletinFri, 20 Feb 2015 11:05:16 +1300Queensland Fruit Fly found in Grey Lynn areaWed, 18 Feb 2015 15:10:10 +1300People with DisabilitiesWed, 04 Feb 2015 11:24:40 +1300
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Headline: Agreement in principle signed with Ngāti Tūwharetoa
The Crown has signed an agreement in principle with Ngāti Tūwharetoa towards settling their historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson announced today.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is a large iwi of around 35,000 people with an area of interest centred around Lake Taupo and the central plateau.
“The agreement in principle marks the start of the next phase of negotiations with Ngāti Tūwharetoa and represents an important milestone. This agreement provides both the Crown and Ngāti Tūwharetoa with a basis from which to develop a detailed deed of settlement,” Mr Finlayson said.
The agreement in principle outlines a broad settlement package which includes provisional Crown acknowledgements of Treaty of Waitangi breaches and cultural, financial and commercial redress.
The settlement includes the transfer to Ngāti Tūwharetoa of several high-profile sites in the Central North Island region, with the continuance of free and full public access guaranteed to all but part of one site, and existing third party interests maintained.
“These sites are all of immense cultural and historical value to Ngāti Tūwharetoa and high recreational and community value to the Taupo region and New Zealand as a whole,” Mr Finlayson said. “This AIP balances the interests of the public, the Crown and Ngāti Tūwharetoa.”
“The Crown is committed to resolving all historical Treaty grievances, and an agreement in principle is a significant step,” Mr Finlayson said.
Claims relating to Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Tongariro National Park are yet to be resolved and will be dealt with in a separate collective negotiation with other iwi and hapū over Tongariro National Park.
A copy of the agreement in principle will be available on the Office of Treaty Settlements’ website, www.ots.govt.nz.
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Headline: Murder accused on the run
Friday, 6 March 2015 – 12:35pm
Murder accused, 17 year-old Beauen Wallace-Loretz, was last night assisted by an associate to leave his Avondale bail address after disconnecting his electronic bracelet.
Auckland City Police have been making inquiries as to his whereabouts since being notified by the security company that monitors electronic bailees that he absconded shortly before 11pm last night.
Police have notified the family of 54 year-old Ihaia Gillman-Harris, the man Wallace-Loretz is accused of murdering in Epsom on December 27 last year, of last night’s events.
Police are appealing for any information about Wallace-Loretz who is described as a thin Maori, about 164cm tall [see attached photo].
Anyone with information should contact Police on 111. Wallace-Loretz is considered dangerous and should not be approached by members of the public.
Any associates who may be continuing to assist Beauen Wallace-Loretz are strongly advised to think again as they too will face criminal charges if they harbour the accused.
Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager
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Headline: AA backs actions to reduce visiting driver crashes
The AA is welcoming the Government’s announcement today of a range of road safety improvements set to be rolled out in areas with high rates of crashes involving visiting drivers.
“We have nearly 3 million tourists visiting New Zealand every year, many of them drive, and the public are hugely concerned about some of the horrific crashes that have taken place,” says AA spokesperson Simon Douglas.
“There is no silver bullet for preventing these crashes but the package of measures announced today is going to make the roads safer for locals and visitors alike.”
The AA was particularly pleased to see that actions will include:
There has already been some good initiatives taken by the Government and the tourism industry to try and make the roads safer, like rental companies providing videos and information to their customers about the differences driving here, Air New Zealand introducing a video on in-bound flights from China and a steering wheel tag created for hire vehicles that shows key road rules.
“There is a lot of good work being done looking at ways to reduce these tragic crashes and that has to continue. The AA has had a lot of Members contacting us with ideas about improving the safety of visiting drivers, which shows how much people care about this issue,” says Mr Douglas.
“One of the things the AA encourages people to do is to phone *555 and report instances of dangerous driving so that the authorities can identify the worst problem areas and focus on making them safer. That may require the *555 system to be beefed up so that people can be sure their calls will have an effect.
“Ultimately we all want tourists to keep coming to New Zealand, be safe on our roads, and go home having had a fantastic experience.”
Simon Douglas
Motoring Policy Manager
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. 04 931 9985
M. 021 607 647
E. sdouglas@aa.co.nz
The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with more than one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay more than $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.
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MIL OSI Analysis – Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Headline: Legacy of Hugo Chávez: A Once and Future Revolution
[caption id="attachment_814" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez holds up a Spanish language version of Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance by Noam Chomsky.[/caption]This tribute to President Hugo Chavez was first published by Counter Punch and VenezuelaAnalysis, and is re-published here with some minor grammatical modifications by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.
By Roger D. Harris, Task Force on the Americas, http://www.mitfamericas.org/.
The rich and reactionary in Venezuela and their allies in Washington celebrated when Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez died two years ago on March 5, 2013. US President Barack Obama did not even make the customary and common courtesy of sending his condolences for the passing of a head of state.
Instead the US Empire stepped up its demonization campaign against Chávez’s legacy, perhaps in order to bury his Bolivarian Revolution. In contrast to his treatment of Chávez, Obama was effusive in his praise of the recently decreased King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the leader of a country that Amnesty International rightly labels one of the most tyrannical and repressive in the world.
So why did poor and progressive people in Venezuela, throughout Latin America, and indeed all over the world mourn Chávez’s passing and proclaim ¡Yo soy Chávez! (I am Chávez)? More than anything, the phrase Yo soy Chávez is a declaration of empowerment…this in a nutshell is the great legacy of Hugo Chávez and the one that the empire is bent on destroying.
Chávez’s Grand Synthesis
Much has changed in the 14 years of Chávez’s stewardship in Venezuela. One of the most profound and influential aspects of the Chávez legacy is his original synthesis of three grand strands of political discourse: popular Christian ethics, Simón Bolívar’s heritage of regional integration, and socialist political-economic thought (based on J. Petras, http:// petras.lahaine. org/?p=1932).
Central to popular Christian thought is the “preferential option for the poor which Chávez saw as creating a state that serves the interest of poor and working people rather than the rich. Inheriting a state bureaucracy from the old order, Chávez set to work creating a parallel order of institutions to serve the poor. Drawing from Christian imagery, he called these new parallel state institutions to carry out poor “missions.”
Some 1.5 million Venezuelans learned to read and write thanks to the Mission Robinson I literacy campaign. Free access to health care was ensured for all Venezuelans with Mission Barrio Adentro; the number of doctors increased, infant mortality rate fell, and average life expectancy increased. Chávez led the rewriting of the Venezuelan constitution to reflect the interests of the poor. And a new electoral system was instituted, which Jimmy Carter deemed the “best in the world.”
The second great wellspring of Chávista thought was the man who led the liberation of the Spanish colonies in South America, Simón Bolívar. Pre-Chávez, Venezuela was arguably the most Americanized country in South America. The elite especially privileged US culture over Venezuelan culture. Venezuelans played baseball, not soccer. A mere decade and a half ago, most analysts would have ranked Venezuela the least likely candidate nation to stand up on its own two feet to challenge the empire to be recognized as sovereign and equal.
In a mere 14 years, home grown culture has blossomed with renewed sense of national identity and pride that has become nearly universal, even among the Miami jet-setting opposition elements. Today, the young musical wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel is not only the director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, but also of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Los Angeles. Culture is still being imported, but now the shipping lanes go both ways.
Bolívar: Regional Integration
In the tradition of Bolívar, Chávez was instrumental in promoting regional integration. The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), founded in 2004 between Cuba and Venezuela, now comprises 11 member countries. ALBA is based on fair trade, mutual respect, and reciprocity. PetroCaribe, created in 2005, affords subsidizing 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with a secure energy supply. Chávez was instrumental in 2008 in forming UNASUR, an intergovernmental union of the South American nations. And in 2011, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) brought together for the first time all 33 nations of the Western Hemisphere, emancipated from the tutelage of the United States and Canada, which have been excluded from the body.
These counter hegemonic projects provide an alternative to subordination to the US Empire, which explains why Venezuela is being targeted by the US with sanctions and other measures to achieve regime change.
21st Century Socialism
The Bolivarian movement came to embrace socialism for pragmatic reasons. Through the practical experience of governance, it became increasingly clear to Chávez and those around him that capitalism with its ethic of production for profit could not achieve their social justice objectives. Out of the socialist tradition, Chávez has championed community councils and other instruments of participatory democracy, cooperatives providing employment and education in communitarian values to their members, and worker managed industries.
The accomplishments of the Bolivarian Revolution to date are many: land distributed to the landless, poverty rate halved and extreme poverty reduced by two-thirds, child malnutrition reduced, access to safe drinking water increased, etc. Social expenditures have been increased and pensions for the elderly went from less than 400,000 to over to two million, while hundreds of thousands of new homes were built for those in slums. Venezuela went from being among one of the most economically unequal nations in the Latin America to being among the most equal through the exercise of state power for the populace.
All these gains are currently at stake. The problems of building 21st century socialism on a capitalist foundation include crime, inefficiency/ shortages, and inflation/devaluation. These are the problems inherited from the existing capitalist order and exacerbated by the sabotage of the local opposition who are abetted with millions of dollars by the US government. As solidarity activists our responsibility is to allow the Venezuelan people, their President Maduro, and the Bolivarian Revolution for socialism to resolve their problems without the interference of the US government.
By Roger D. Harris, Task Force on the Americas, http://www.mitfamericas.org/.
This tribute to President Hugo Chavez was first published by Counter Punch and VenezuelaAnalysis, and is re-published here with some minor grammatical modifications by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.
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Across The Ditch with Selwyn Manning and Peter Godfrey: Recorded live on 5/03/15. This week, Teina Pora’s murder conviction quashed by Privy Council + an update on the Cricket World Cup + Investigative journalists begin releasing NZ’s Snowden Files.
ITEM ONE:
[caption id="attachment_1642" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Peter Godfrey and Selwyn Manning.[/caption]
This is a big issue… The Privy Council has quashed another high profile murder conviction, further raising concerns that New Zealand’s justice system has been failing victims, defendants, and society.
Teina Pora was convicted in 1994 for the murder of Susan Burdett, a 39 year old who lived alone in Papatoetoe, South Auckland.
Teina Pora was 15 years of age at the time of the killing, and 17 at the time of his trial. He spent 21 years in prison for the murder.
The victim, Susan Burdett, was brutally raped, then bludgeoned to death with a softball bat that she kept beside her bed for her own protection.
[caption id="attachment_41239" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Mr Teina Pora.[/caption]
There was no forensic evidence to suggest Teina Pora had been at the scene of the murder. There was nothing to connect him to the crime. But after Police announced a $20,000 reward was available for information about the murder, Pora approached Police with a story suggesting mobsters were responsible.
Soon after, Teina Pora’s story morphed into a confession. Police charged him with the murder, and a bewildered Pora faced trial.
In the last five years, journalists Phil Taylor, Eugene Bingham and Paula Penfold began investigating Mr Pora’s case. They found he suffered and suffers from foetal alcohol syndrome, his mother died of cancer when he was four years of age, his father was absent from his life, and as a child he was passed from Aunty to Aunty without ever really having a home.
The Privy Council heard expert opinion that claimed Pora’s confession was unreliable in the extreme, that a semen sample found at the scene of the crime matched Auckland serial rapist Malcolm Rewa. That Rewa’s modus operandi was a stalker and lone wolf rapist, that it was unlikely he would have had an accomplice, and that his crimes were becoming more and more violent. Rewa was convicted for having raped 27 women.
While Teina Pora was doing time in prison for the murder, Malcolm Rewa was also tried twice for Susan Burdett’s murder. At the conclusion of both trials the juries failed to reach a verdict, even while Rewa was found guilty of having raped her.
With the Privy Council having quashed Teina Pora’s conviction on Tuesday night, the Police and Crown Law are now considering whether to retry Pora for the murder.
Meanwhile, Dean of the University of Canterbury’s School of Law, Associate Professor Chris Gallavin, said Tuesday night, there was “a good chance” that the Attorney-General, on advice of the Solicitor-General, could push for a fresh Rewa murder trial. (ref. LiveNews)
ITEM TWO:
Cricket Update… (we experienced significant variable audio delay and bursts during the beginning of the Cricket discussion. Apologies for the muddled few sentences.)
ITEM THREE: This is a breaking story. Investigations based on leaked documents sourced from US whistleblower Edward Snowden are being published this week that detail how New Zealand Government spies on its neighbours in the South Pacific, then sends the intelligence to the United States.
More on this issue tomorrow on FiveAA’s breakie programme.
Across The Ditch broadcasts live on FiveAA Australia and webcasts on LiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz.
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MIL OSI – Source: United States Department of State – Press Release/Statement: Headline: U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Mark Lippert Assaulted We can confirm that U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert was assaulted Thursday morning in Seoul while giving a speech. We strongly condemn this act of violence. The Ambassador is being treated at a local hospital. His injuries are not life threatening. Embassy Seoul is coordinating with local law enforcement authorities. We do not have any additional details to share at this time. –]]>
MIL OSI – Source: British Parliament News – Press Release/Statement: Headline: Drone industry could create 150,000 jobs in EU, say Lords The Committee, which has been scrutinising the European Commission’s proposals for drones, supports its plans to harmonise safety rules across the EU but argues for flexibility in national safety rules for small drones or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). The Committee’s report also recognises growing public concern over the use of drones by private individuals, with little knowledge of aviation rules. The report urges the Government and the Commission to adopt a raft of measures to improve safety and the enforceability of existing laws. These include: Developing a shared manufacturing standard for drones, such as the CE marking (kite mark); Creating an online database of drone operations to track and manage drone traffic. The Committee expects that commercial operators could register their drones on an online database or app in the near future, and that in the longer term it would encompass leisure users as well; Widening the application of geo-fencing technology, which limits flights over high risk sites; Creating guidance for the police to enforce existing safety rules. Other findings The Committee heard that there is huge potential for growth and jobs in this emerging sector: businesses across Europe are using small drones for photography, filming and surveying, and they can also be used to carry out dull, dirty or dangerous jobs, such as cargo shipping and search and rescue. Evidence given to the inquiry agreed with the Commission’s estimate that around 150,000 new jobs could be created across Europe from drone activity by the year 2050. But the report noted that for this potential to be realised, the safety of drone operations will have to be demonstrated and gain public approval. The report finds that stifling the industry through over-regulation can be avoided if safety rules are proportionate to risk. The Committee also welcomes the Commission’s support for research into key technologies, such as ‘detect and avoid’, but urges that research projects should include the small drone sector. The Committee found that current EU and UK legislation adequately covers data protection issues. However it recommends increased guidance on data protection and insurance requirements for commercial operators. In light of evidence that the media and police use of drones will increase, the report also recommends urgent public debate regarding acceptable civilian applications for drones. Chairman’s comment Commenting on the report, entitled Civilian Use of Drones in the EU, Committee Chairman Baroness O’Cathain said: “The growth in civilian drone use has been astonishing and they are taking to the skies faster than anyone could have predicted. We have a huge opportunity to make Europe a world leader in drone technology. But there’s also a risk—public understanding of how to use drones safely may not keep pace with people’s appetite to fly them. It would just take one disastrous accident to destroy public confidence and set the whole industry back. “So we need to find ways to manage and keep track of drone traffic. That is why a key recommendation is that drone flights must be traceable, effectively through an online database, which the general public could access via an app. We need to use technology creatively, not just to manage the skies, but to help police them as well.” – ]]>
MIL OSI – Source: Federal Republic of Nigeria – Report: Headline: NPF to establish counter-terrorism units in Nasarawa State LAFIA (FIC Lafia Report) – The Nigeria Police Force has announced the plan by its agency to establish a counter-terrorism unit as part of effort to fight crime in the state. The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Yahaya Ardo Garba disclosed this when he paid a visit to Umaru Tanko Al-makura, the Governor of Nassarawa State in Lafia lately. He added that the plan to establish the unit in the state became necessary to support the security in the area and to bring peace and stability to the state. Ardo Garba noted that the aim of his visit was to discuss with the State Governor the possibilities for collaboration with the state government on the procedures for engaging counter-terrorism activities in the state. He further appealed to the State Government to support the initiative of the Inspector – General of Police towards having a crime – free society. Al-Makura applauded the AIG and described the decision to introduce a special police unit in the state as timely. He noted that it will go a long way to reduce crime and criminality as well as ensure peace and stability in the state. Adding, the state is willing to support and collaborate with the Nigeria Police to establish the terrorism unit in the state, especially now that there is yearning for more security personnel to enable the IDPs in the state go back to their homes. He maintained that the State Government has already donated 500 residential units to the Nigeria Police to make them comfortable. – – ]]>
MIL OSI –
Source: New Zealand Labour Party – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Life to get harder for zero hour workers
Employment law changes that take effect tomorrow will make life even harder for workers battling zero hour contracts, Labour‘s spokesperson on Labour Relations Iain Lees-Galloway says.
“From tomorrow, it will be harder for working people to bargain collectively, harder to make sure new staff members get good terms and conditions and harder to take partial industrial action.
“Meanwhile it will be easier for employers to walk away from negotiations, easier to dismiss an employee without giving them access to relevant information and easier to ditch employees when a business is sold.
“And taking away the right to a tea-break is just a kick in the guts.
“Many workers will try to use collective bargaining to get zero hour contracts out of their workplace this year. It’s bad enough that the Government refuses to take action on zero-hour contracts but making it harder for workers to take action themselves is just shameful,” Iain Lees-Galloway says.
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Source: New Zealand Police – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Seven arrests for alleged kidnap
Thursday, 5 March 2015 – 2:47pm
An investigation into a suspected kidnapping has culminated in the arrest of seven men and the recovery of thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods.
The coordinated operation, across three North Island Districts, targeted properties predominantly associated to members of the Headhunters, and sends a clear message that organised criminal activity will not be tolerated.
The investigation was initiated on Tuesday, 17 February. It is alleged that one man in his 20s was abducted from a property in Tauranga on the night of Monday, 16 February. Early the following morning a second man in his 40s was abducted from a property in Rotorua. Three vehicles were stolen during the two incidents.
The older victim managed to escape several hours later, and the younger one was released that night. Both had been assaulted.
This morning a number of search warrants were executed at addresses in the Tauranga and Whakatane areas of Bay of Plenty District. Other searches were carried out in Auckland Central and in Waitemata Police District. Six men were arrested during this operation and a 7th man was arrested yesterday (Wednesday, 4 February) in a vehicle in Northland. Armed Offenders Squads assisted with a number of this morning’s search warrants.
A significant amount of other stolen property has been recovered including vehicles and earth-moving machinery. A firearm has also been recovered.
All seven men, with ages ranging from 21 to 36, have been charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery and participating in an organised criminal gang. Some face additional assault and firearms related offences.
One man from Whangarei appeared in Whangarei District Court today and has been remanded in custody. One man from Auckland is appearing in the Waitakere District Court today. The five remaining men (three from the Western Bay of Plenty, one from Rotorua and one from Edgecumbe) will appear in court tomorrow.
Police will be providing no further details about the alleged kidnap now that the matter is before the court.
However Crime Services Manager for Bay of Plenty Police, Detective Inspector Tim Anderson warns that that anyone who chooses to associate themselves with organised crime should be prepared for the consequences. He said: “Organised criminal gangs across New Zealand should be left under no illusion that the Police will continue to seize every opportunity to disrupt their activity. They are living a life of intimidation, violence and drugs and the harm to society is huge and will not be tolerated.”
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027 234 8256.
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Source: Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Invite: Launch of ‘It shouldn’t be this hard’: children, poverty and disability
Child poverty and child disability are inextricably linked – children with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than other children and much of this is to do with indifferent policy and indifferent policy makers.
‘It shouldn’t be this hard’: children, poverty and disability is the most recent research publication from Child Poverty Action Group. The research looks at the current status of support programmes for families with disabled children noting that access to support payments have been cut over the past five years while the needs of families and the rights of disabled children continue to be overlooked by policy makers.
Alan Johnson: CPAGs co-convenor as well as a social policy analyst with The Salvation Army’s Social Policy & Parliament Unit. Alan wrote the chapter on Housing market changes and their impact on children in part four of CPAG’s latest flagship publication Our children, our choice priorities for policy.
Colleen Brown: Colleen has a strong background in local government. She currently chairs the Parent and Family Resource Centre in Onehunga; a Not For Profit organization supporting parents and families with disabled family members. She has been involved with many different facets of the disability sector for over 30 years setting up informal support groups and running lobby groups. She is passionate about ordinary people having a strong voice.
Dr Louise Porteous: Louise is a senior developmental paediatrician in South Auckland. Louise sees firsthand the what it life is like for struggling families who have a child or children with disabilities.
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Source: New Zealand First – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: NZ First Pulls Reins On TPPA ‘Trojan Horse’ Nightmare
New Zealand First is taking emergency measures to axe the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement’s (TPPA) ‘Trojan Horse’ provisions, which will allow foreign corporations to sue the New Zealand government for billions of dollars.
“New Zealand First is bringing forward the Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill to ban our government from signing any treaty, which gives foreign corporates the right to seek compensation if they believe our laws affect their business,” says Fletcher Tabuteau, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Commerce and Trade.
“Leaks from the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations show it’s full of nasty details. One of the nastier provisions puts the interests of foreign corporates ahead of the New Zealand public.
“It is not just the TPPA but the National government signed us all up to the New Zealand-Korea Free Trade Agreement which has ‘an investor clause.’
“This is wrong. New Zealanders must rule our country, not foreign businesses. New Zealand absolutely relies on our exports so trade is essential but the price of trade agreements shouldn’t mean selling our soul.
“New Zealand First’s Bill will stop provisions known as investor–state dispute settlements.
“It is wrong that the National government maintains a shroud of secrecy around TPPA negotiations, especially when they go well beyond being just a trade agreement. National must do right by New Zealanders and let them know just what this government is prepared to give away to overseas corporates.
“New Zealand First’s Fighting Foreign Corporate Control Bill will mitigate the worst of these new age trade deals,” Mr Tabuteau said.
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Source: New Zealand First – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: New Zealand First Gets Fruit Fly Pest Hotline Staffed 24/7
New Zealand First thanks the Ministry for Primary Industries on behalf of our primary producers for now seemingly staffing the Pest and Disease Hotline 24/7.
“It seems the message finally got through to Minister Nathan Guy that the country’s Pest and Disease Hotline needs to be staffed 24/7,” says Spokesperson for Primary Industries and Biosecurity Richard Prosser.
“It took New Zealand First to highlight the issue through questions in Parliament and the press, but at least they have finally acted.
“Now concerned New Zealanders who call the Hotline can have a conversation with and receive good advice from people who are knowledgeable, according to the feedback we have received.
“Eleven Queensland Fruit Flies have now been found due to the government’s failure to properly resource biosecurity at the border. We are pleased the government has heard us and appears to have stepped up by moving to 24/7 staffing of the Hotline.
“Now we want to hear that there will be 100% x-ray of all hand-held luggage, in-hold luggage, mail and freight in the future.
“The Government has shown they can listen to sensible advice from a constructive opposition Party once, now we’d like to see them do it again,” says Mr Prosser.
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Source: Christchurch Central Development Unit – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Appointment made in key rebuild role
An interim appointment has today been made to replace outgoing Christchurch Central Development Unit director Warwick Isaacs.
Baden Ewart will step into the position when Mr Isaacs departs on 27 March.
John Ombler, the acting chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority says the appointment of Mr Ewart will ensure CCDU’s work programmes continue smoothly until CERA’s transition arrangements are finalised.
“Baden has worked closely with Warwick since the earthquakes, and was Warwick’s second in command throughout the demolition phase, as well as with CCDU,” Mr Ombler says.
“He is a respected leader within the organisation and in the wider community, and I am pleased he has accepted the challenge that comes with this important role.”
Before joining CERA in 2011, Mr Ewart held roles within the health sector, and served 43 years with the Royal New Zealand Army.
CERA’s special legislation ends in April 2016 and work is currently underway to ascertain how the organisation’s work programmes will be managed in the future.
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Source: New Zealand Government – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: South Island road safety work fast-tracked
Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss today announced the Visiting Drivers Signature Project (VDSP) will be extended and planned safety improvements fast-tracked following recent crashes involving overseas visitors.
“The Government recognises that many people are concerned with poor driving behaviour on challenging roads in and around popular tourist destinations, particularly in the lower South Island,” Mr Foss says.
“That is why we are extending the VDSP to include the West Coast — an area that attracts a large number of tourists.
“A range of planned safety improvements on state highways in Otago and Southland will also be fast-tracked for completion by July 1 this year.”
These improvements include an additional:
“This work will improve safety for all road users, including the increasing number of overseas visitors choosing to explore our country by car,” Mr Foss says.
The safety improvements announced today will be in addition to a range of measures already in place in Otago and Southland, including 564km of edge-line rumble strips, 1800km of highway marked with ‘keep left’ arrows, 4755 curve warning signs and 165km of safety barriers.
“Every death or serious injury on our roads is a tragedy and these tragedies can be prevented by improving safety in every part of the transport system — vehicles, speeds, road users and the roads themselves,” Mr Foss says.
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Source: Massey University – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Massey honours top Thai business leader
(from left) Marshall Kathleen Vossler, Orator Tony Lynch, Professor Ted Zorn, Chancellor Chris Kelly, Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey, Dhanin Chearavanont, Thai interpreter Sarasin Viraphol and University Registrar Stuart Morriss.
Dr Dhanin Chearavanont speaking at the Riddet Complex
Dr Dhanin Chearavanont (centre) visiting Food HQ
Dr Dhanin Chearavanont receiving his honorary doctorate
Greater access for New Zealand to Asian food markets through research and knowledge exchanges between Massey University and a Thai food conglomerate is on the cards.
The prospect of stronger links with Thailand in the agrifood sector was championed in a speech by one of Thailand’s most successful business leaders, Dhanin Chearavanont.
He was recognised by the University with a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) at a ceremony at the Manawatū campus on Wednesday. The degree was in recognition for his services to international business and philanthropic activities.
Dr Chearavanont, 75, is chairman and chief executive officer of the Charoen Pokphand Group (known as C.P. Group), a conglomerate with core businesses in agrifood, retail and telecommunications that employs more than 300,000 people worldwide, with total revenues of more than $US 41 billion.
Speaking through a translator at the ceremony, Dr Chearavanont said he would “advocate for the immediate formation of a joint committee between the University and the C.P. group to work out a plan for collaboration. C.P. will definitely gain from the knowledge that Massey University can dispense, but hopefully C.P. can also provide some knowledge about the Asian market, consisting of more than three billion people.”
“I am confident that we can assist New Zealand in distributing value-added goods to Asia,” he told the audience of around 100 senior agrifood, business and food science academics as well as Massey alumni, business leaders and members of the Thai community.
Dr Chearavanont also commented on the similarities between the C.P. Group and Massey University, saying they both work across the agrifood value chain from farming to processing, manufacturing and distribution. “We owe it one another to see how we can work together.”
New Zealand’s former Ambassador to Thailand Tony Lynch, orator at the ceremony, said Dr Chearavanont is widely regarded as an exemplar businessman in international trade, and has also made an enormous contribution to improving the standard of living for Thai people in the agrifood sector.
“His achievements are due to his international vision, his astute leadership and his strong family and corporate values,” said Mr Lynch, who is the current Deputy Secretary of Defence for the Ministry of Defence.
Dr Chearavanont was overwhelmed by the recognition, saying: “This day will forever live in my memory.”
Chancellor Chris Kelly told the audience it was an “historic occasion”, being the third conferment of an honorary doctorate to an international recipient by the University. The first, in 2002, was an Honorary Doctorate of Sciences awarded to the King of Thailand H.M. Bhumibol Adulyadej. The second was in November last year when Madame Peng Liyuan, First Lady to the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, received an Honorary Doctorate of Literature.
Dr Chearavanont’s father founded the family seed business in 1921 and it has grown into the C.P. Group of today, with investments in 17 countries, including China, India, Russia and Turkey, and offices in 14 other countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy. C.P. Group was the first foreign investor in China after the economy was reopened to outside investment in late 1970s. In 2007, it founded Thailand’s first and only work-based learning higher education institute, the Panyapiwat Institute of Management.
He was the first person to implement the poultry integration business in Thailand and South East Asia and is credited for introducing modern agricultural development to emerging economies.
He has been acknowledged by Forbes as one of the world’s billionaire philanthropists for several years running and was chosen by Forbes Asia as Businessman of The Year in 2011. He is the founding and current president of the China Association of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs, an official business organisation established by the State Council of the Chinese government.
Dr Chearavanont advocates as the C.P. Group’s guiding principle the “Three-Benefit Principle” that reflects the leveraging of benefits to all stakeholders in a sustainable business enterprise, namely benefit to the country, the people and the company.
Before the ceremony, he toured Massey’s Food HQ, Food Pilot and Hopkirk Institute. After his conferment, he addressed guests at a reception at the Riddet Complex.
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Source: New Zealand Labour Party – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Customs seeks big brother powers
A proposal giving New Zealand Customs powers to compel anyone to provide passwords and encryption keys to their electronic devices is another step towards a surveillance society and should be strongly resisted, Labour’s ICT spokesperson Clare Curran said today.
“There are existing powers in search and surveillance law and other legislation which provide compulsion to disclose a password if someone passes through Customs and is under suspicion.
“This is another example of New Zealand falling into line with its five eyes partners, the US, Australia, Canada and the UK and is another step towards the erosion of civil liberties and privacy.
“It’s also a disturbing new piece of evidence that encryption as a business model is under threat.
“In January, UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s suggestion that a new Tory government would ban messaging apps that use encryption was described by the international tech industry and security experts as ‘living in cloud cuckoo land’ with a massive detrimental effect on the IT industry.
“In New Zealand it could lead to stifling innovation of new businesses which provide encryption services and even dissuade people from travelling to a country with such draconian laws,“ says Clare Curran.
“It is over the top and unwarranted. If the law already provides for the requirement to provide passwords and encryption keys when someone is under suspicion. Why does Customs need wholesale powers to compel all travellers?”
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Source: New Zealand Police – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Public complaints help halt speeding driver
Tasman
Marlborough Police arrested a man who was recorded driving at 171kmh on State Highway 1 south of Ward about 4.30pm yesterday.
Police received several complaints from members of the public about the man’s driving and went in search of the vehicle.
Officers caught up with the speeding vehicle after it became caught behind other traffic. When the driver was signalled to stop he did a U-turn and fled in the opposite direction. The car was stopped after a short pursuit and the driver arrested.
Marlborough Highway Patrol Sergeant Barrie Greenall said young man’s driving placed all road users at risk.
“I’d like to thank those members of the public who alerted us to his behaviour. Thankfully we were able to apprehend him before his road trip ended in tragedy.”
Sgt Greenall said the man had travelled from Dunedin yesterday and complaints had been received from as far afield as Canterbury. A hitch hiker who was in the vehicle when it was stopped told Police a second hitch hiker, who he believed was a Canadian tourist, had asked to get out of the car near Kaikoura due to concerns about the driver’s behaviour. Police are interested in speaking to that person.
The 21 year old from Ashburton has been charged with Failing to Stop and Driving at a Dangerous Speed. He received an immediate 28 day suspension of his driver’s licence and has been released on bail to appear in the Blenheim District Court on 23 March.
end
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]]>MIL OSI –
Source: Waikato District Health Board – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Hospital patients urged to fill in care survey
Four hundred discharged patients from Waikato District Health Board (DHB) hospitals are part of a nationwide patient experience survey that asks them to rate their care in hospital.
The 400 were Waikato’s part of 6000 randomly selected survey participants who were inpatients between 2-15 February this year at public hospitals across New Zealand.
They have until Tuesday 17 March to return the survey and Waikato DHB is urging them to do so.
“We really want to hear from you. We do listen, so please complete the survey and give us your insights into our care,” says Waikato DHB’s Quality and Patient Safety assistant group manager Mo Neville.
What matters to patients is important to us.
The Health Quality & Safety Commission coordinates the national survey across all 20 district health boards in New Zealand. The survey is a quarterly event designed to help all district health boards assess the quality of care in public hospitals, from the patient’s perspective.
This is the third time the national survey has been held. It asks people to rate their care experience out of 10 based on communication, partnership, coordination of the care, and having their physical and emotional needs met.
They have also been asked a range of 20 more detailed questions, including ‘Were you involved as much as you wanted to be in decisions about your care and treatment?, ‘Overall, did you feel staff treated you with respect and dignity while you were in the hospital?’ and ‘Was your condition explained to you in a way that you could understand?’
The previous national and local survey results were released in February, and the response rate for Waikato DHB was a good 31 percent, up from 17 percent in the very first survey.
Mo Neville says reminder letters were sent out on Tuesday to the 400 Waikato participants and she is hopefully that the response rate will rise yet again.
The Health Quality & Safety Commission is aiming for 40 percent national response rate this time.
Commission director of health quality evaluation Richard Hamblin urges anyone invited to fill in the survey to do so. “It’s easy, doesn’t take long, and you remain anonymous unless you choose to supply contact details.
‘You can reply online or post your response. However you do it, your feedback on your stay in hospital will let DHBs know what they’re doing right and where improvements are needed.’
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Law students help fight miscarriages of justice
March 5, 2015
University of Canterbury law students are involved in a number of legal fights, the university’s Dean of Law, Associate Professor Chris Gallavin says.
The Canterbury students are helping fight against miscarriages in New Zealand, with the prospect of them making a difference in the community, he says. Associate Professor Gallavin is part of a team established in 2013 to examine public interest cases in both criminal and civil jurisdictions.
“We are very proud that two of our finest students have worked tirelessly on the Teina Pora appeal for the last six months of 2014,” Associate Professor Gallavin says.
“They played a significant role in the defence team completing important research and opinions on aspects of both the law of evidence and criminal procedure. We here at Canterbury are endeavouring to bring real world experiences into the classroom giving academic credit and ultimately a life changing experience to students who are keen and eager to put their education to use as part of their LLB studies.
“Teina Pora was this week a free man after the Privy Council quashed his convictions for the 1992 rape and murder of Auckland woman Susan Burdett. This is a great victory for justice and I hope now that attention will focus on finding out who did kill Susan Burdett. That is very important for the Burdett family and it is important for our community. No one wins in miscarriage cases.”
“The Teina Pora case is not the only case in which Canterbury law students are involved. Our students are also at the centre of the team examining the Mikaere Oketopa (Michael October) case and will be working on the Peter Ellis file and the Tamihere case.
“A team of experts has been formed and it is a privilege and a pleasure for our students to work under the guidance of these experts in uncovering defects in cases that have potentially led to the wrong person being convicted and families of victims receiving little to no closure.
“The team includes barristers, private investigators and scientists and is called the New Zealand Public Interest Project (NZPIP) and in the absence of a criminal cases review panel for New Zealand we are hopeful that we might play a small part in setting the record straight for those unjustly convicted of serious offending.
“We are looking to formally launch NZPIP this year and while we are a little nervous about the number of criminal and civil cases that might be referred to us for review. We are keen to do our best in our little corner,” Associate Professor Gallavin says.
MIL OSI –
Are New Zealand women on equal job footing with men?
March 5, 2015
Today many consider that women in New Zealand and in other industrialised countries are competing on equal footing with men on the job market.
However, University of Canterbury business and economics associate professor Annick Masselot says this is not quite true.
“The gender pay gap is still at 10 percent and women are still over-represented in segregated traditional gendered professions that are underpaid and undervalued such as care work, cleaning and cooking.”
Associate Professor Masselot will give the university’s first What if Wednesday public lecture of the year on campus next week (March 11). See here for a preview YouTube clip: .
“About 35 percent of New Zealand women work part-time because they also need to do housework and care for children and other dependents. Even though New Zealand men participate in domestic work more than men in other industrialised countries, women in New Zealand do more than double the unpaid house-work and care.
“Women continue to disproportionately experience the double burden of paid work on the labour market and unpaid work at home. New Zealand women outperform men in education. Two-thirds of university graduates are women and research shows that women are ambitious, yet only 12 percent of company directors on the New Zealand Stock Exchange top 100 listed companies in 2013 are women.
“Only 19 percent of partners in Auckland’s top legal firms are female, despite there being more women than men legal graduates since 1993.”
Associate Professor Masselot will raise issues such as work-life balance and legal rights relating to equal treatment between women and men. She says New Zealand’s legal rights to balance work and life are of a reasonable standard when compared to other developed countries.
However, like in other countries, the legal protections, based on an outdated male breadwinner-female caregiver social norm, are inadequate and, even when relevant, are under-enforced or simply ignored.
“Cultural stereotypes are still very much alive across New Zealand and women are still perceived as the main carers and therefore not primarily as workers with full employment rights.
“New Zealand women face high levels of discrimination because many employers still consider that women should first and foremost be carers for children or other dependents and that they are only secondarily interested in paid work. Discrimination takes place before women have children. This leads to unequal pay and gender segregated labour market.”
Former intelligence analyst and whistleblower, Edward Snowden – speaking live to those gathered at the Auckland Town Hall on Monday September 17, 2014. Investigation by Selwyn Manning (updated). THE PRIME MINISTER JOHN KEY’s admission in September 2014 that whistleblower Edward Snowden “may well be right” that our data-communications may be accessible through XKeyscore raises further questions of whether the Prime Minister has told the ‘whole truth’ or whether he is simply out of his depth on global intelligence operations. The New Zealand Herald reported in September 2014:
Prime Minister John Key acknowledged today that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s claim that New Zealanders’ data is accessible through the controversial XKeyscore system “may well be right”.However, the Prime Minister then maintained that information will not have been gathered under any Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) mass surveillance programme as the agency doesn’t have that capability. (Ref. NZHerald). That statement is clearly polls apart from the revelations published in a cooperative effort by investigative journalist Nicky Hager, the New Zealand Herald’s David Fisher, and the Sunday Star Times (pending publication). The contradictory statements raise questions as to whether the Prime Minister has been outplayed by the deep state, the true masters of the great game? If not, then it suggests John Key is attempting to prevent New Zealanders from knowing what his government is permitting in our name. Whatever the truth is, the issue drives home the need for New Zealanders to fast become familiar with what the United States-based spy agency does, its reach around the world, how it sets up sites in countries like ours, and importantly what the National Security Agency (NSA), has already admitted to. Is New Zealand merely a pawn in a US-led system designed to protect the superpower’s economic and foreign policy interests? The Snowden Revelations suggest this is so. Has the NSA a facility in New Zealand as whistleblower Edward Snowden suggests? To consider this we need to realise that the agency has many difference faces. Let’s consider: how does the NSA operate? How does it use privately owned businesses, corporations, to do its work abroad? How does it partner up with such players to construct what is simply a spy network of privately owner profitable cells and government agencies all feeding back to the mothership Stateside? Is this the ultimate version of a public-private-partnership (PPP)? And, is this how it masks, in part, its operation around the globe?
Companies like Palantir International, conceived deep within California’s Silicon Valley, has become a giant among the technology companies that have made millions and millions of dollars networking with governments and the world’s largest spy agencies – the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the NSA among them.
Palantir Technologies New Zealand Ltd is operating in New Zealand. Now, we do not at this juncture suggest Palantir is operating in New Zealand at the behest of the NSA, but we can confirm that it registered as a company here in 2012, its official office is listed in the Government companies office register as being with legal firm Simpson Grierson, 88 Shortland St, Auckland; that it has a headquarters in Wellington; it recruited for interns at Victoria University as recently as May 19 this year; it actively employed data analysis and computer engineers at locations in New Zealand, has invested around $12 million into New Zealand information communication technology (ICT) start-ups, and certainly specialises in highly efficient deep data analysis on a global-scale.
Palantir states on the New Zealand section of its global corporate website: “We are composed of technical people doing technical work, software engineers who establish natural rapport before discussing solutions and pounding the keyboard, analysts who can tweak servers, and communicators who listen. Our goal is to implement our platform where people need it, without a surplus of jargon. We don’t do business as usual; we do business as Palantir.”
So what is this business it speaks of?
Well the Wall Street Journal describes one of its products, Palantir Gotham, as: Palantir Gotham is used by counter-terrorism analysts at offices in the United States Intelligence Community and United States Department of Defense, fraud investigators at the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, and cyber analysts at Information Warfare Monitor (responsible for the GhostNet [a Chinese cyber attack network] and the Shadow Network investigation). Palantir Metropolis is used by hedge funds, banks, and financial services firms. (Ref. WSJ).
WSJ wrote in the early stages of Palantir’s rise:
Palantir’s software has helped root out terrorist financing networks, revealed new trends in roadside bomb attacks, and uncovered details of Syrian suicide bombing networks in Iraq, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the events. It has also foiled a Pakistani suicide bombing plot on Western targets and discovered a spy infiltration of an allied government. It is now being used by the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Yet Palantir — which takes its name from the “seeing stones” in the “Lord of the Rings” series — remains an outlier among government security contractors.Only yesterday (September 15, 2014 US timezone) Palantir was cited in the Silicon Valley Business Journal as adding US$50 million to its corporate spy war-chest. Palantir Technologies disclosed on Friday that it has raised $50 million more in a funding round that now totals about $444 million. The secretive Palo Alto Big Data analytics company led by Alex Karp didn’t disclose where the funding came from in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company was already one of the most heavily funded startups in Silicon Valley. It raised a total of $829 million before this latest funding. (Ref. SVBJ). The report noted: Palantir’s backers include the CIA’s In-Q-Tel venture fund and, the company’s co-founder Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. The report listed among its customer’s the US “government intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency”. All of this material is easily accessed via the internet. It would be helpful if New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key revealed what exactly Palantir Technologies New Zealand Ltd is doing here, particularly as the company states in its recruitment material that it is working with government to deploy its platform. What platform is this? Why is this company so intent on establishing itself here? It would also be worthwhile for all those interested in investigating Edward Snowden’s claim – that the NSA has operations in at least two locations, one in Auckland (perhaps located near the Southern Cross cable underground hub on Auckland’s North Shore, that feeds large capacity to the Albany IT sector) and another north of the city – to consider the PPP tactic. Companies like Palantir have the expertise and the track-record of getting results for their clients For example, Palantir’s corporate website states: “DATA FUSION PLATFORMS Back-end infrastructure for integrating, managing, and securing data of any kind, from any source, at massive scale.” (Ref. Palantir.com). In 2012, shortly after it established in New Zealand, Palantir was actively recruiting for IT specialists. For example:
Palantir is looking for a brilliant, technical mind to help deploy our Government platform in New Zealand. We need someone to take a step back, look at who we are interacting with, and what those interactions mean across the organisation.It offered insight into what it does, stating: We currently offer a suite of software applications for integrating, visualizing and analyzing the world’s information. We support many kinds of data including structured, unstructured, relational, temporal and geospatial. (Ref. LinkedIn). Describing its operation, Palantir wrote it is: “broadly deployed in the intelligence, defense, law enforcement and financial communities, and are spreading rapidly by word of mouth into applications in other industries and realms of impact.” Palantir clearly has an overt presence here in New Zealand. And nothing suggests its operation is anything other than lawful. The above references are cited in the public interest simply to illustrate how state spy agencies contract and outsource to the private/corporate sector, and how the private/corporate sector accumulates vast profits in what is a very lucrative field.
StormBrew.[/caption]
STORMBREW: Location, Auckland, NZ. (Ref. NoPlaceToHide Greenwald/Snowden doc: Page 107).
The pre-positioning access-points into hard-target networks worldwide. (Ref. NoPlaceToHide Greenwald/Snowden doc: Slide, Page 149).[/caption]
WHAT’S ALL THIS ABOUT METADATA THEN?
Metadata is the tip of the surveillance iceberg. As Edward Snowden said on Monday night, metadata is an analyst’s dream as it doesn’t lie. It shows who a person talked to, the time, the location, the duration. It can easily be cross referenced and applied layer upon layer. It can be visually analysed, geospatial analysis can be used to identify patterns of connections between disparate groups, cells, networks, individuals. This data is powerful.
Back to Xkeyscore.
XKeyScore acquires your information via DNI Upstream sensor sites (which Snowden referred to as being located in Auckland and Northland) and pre-positioned access points at ISPs (a capability that the GCSB and TICS legislation made lawful and asserted a requirement obligation on the country’s ISPs).
The principle of mass surveillance is a matter of definition. What governments define as surveillance is often quite different to how you or I may define the word.
But for the purpose of this piece, surveillance – whether it be technology-driven dragnet ‘indiscriminate’ surveillance, or human analyst driven search surveillance – it is one of the same. It involves four elements: Trafficthief (metadata), Pinwale, MARINA, and the big foundation of the four: XKeyScore.
[caption id="attachment_52532" align="alignleft" width="565"]
DNI Discovery Options. (Ref. NoPlaceToHide Greenwald/Snowden doc: slide – DNI Discovery Options Page 160).[/caption]
Remember too that with the help of Microsoft, the NSA stated in the source documents that it can easily crack high encryption. It also is able to decipher voice over internet protocol (VOIP) data calls on Skype (something that initially proved tricky).
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GOVERNMENT BODIES:
Another important aspect to realise is how the NSA shares, cooperates, and utilizes the multiple jurisdictions permitted within separate departments of government.
Crossover and sharing of information is one thing, but sharing capability is the foundation of the relationship between intelligence agencies and the major estates of government.
We realised this to a degree in 2013 when it became known that the New Zealand GCSB was acting unlawfully when assisting the New Zealand Police to surveil Kim Dotcom. It also came to pass that 88 other New Zealand citizens or residents had also been unlawfully surveilled, although the circumstances of those offences were never revealed.
Let’s consider SIGINT (or signals intelligence). SIGINT developed as a primary tool of defence and military when acquiring intelligence on an enemy. But the NSA documents reveal SIGINT is vital to its ‘indiscriminate’ surveillance operations against the citizenry. Here in New Zealand, until recent times, the GCSB’s primary skill was signals-based.
The relationship between defence SIGINT activity and the NSA’s surveillance of the world’s citizens may also give some clarity as to whether the NSA does have a sensor site in Auckland and Northland. New Zealand Defence facilities are located here. And New Zealand Defence has an intelligence unit intelligence
THE SIGINT DEFENCE CRYPTOLOGIC PLATFORM:
[caption id="attachment_52533" align="alignleft" width="565"]
SIGINT-defence Cryptologic Platform. (Ref. CNE access at 50,000 locations worldwide including Auckland, New Zealand. Ref. NoPlaceToHide Greenwald/Snowden doc: Page 117).[/caption]
We know from the NSA’s own documents that the National Security Agency/Central Security Service shares “technological developments, cryptologic capabilities, software and resources for state-of-the-art collection, processing and analytical efforts, and IA capabilities.”
The intelligence exchange with Canada for example “covers national and transnational targets. No Consolidated Cryptologic Program (CCP) money is allocated to CSEC (Canada’s Communications Security Establishment Canada), but NSA at times pays R&D and technology costs on shared projects with CSEC.”
It has long been a question that remains unanswered as to whether New Zealand has received money to assist its spying for the Five Eyes Intelligence Agency. The Canadian experience suggests that at least in part, New Zealand has.
Some may ask, why would sovereign states like New Zealand, with a history of independent foreign policy give so much control away to a foreign superpower?
So what does the Five Eyes Intelligence Agency offer? Well, the NSA states the answer as: “… resources for advanced collection, processing and analysis” and open sharing of information/intelligence gathered via “covert sites at the request of NSA”.
In return, the Five Eyes member states provide the NSA “unique geographic access to areas unavailable to the U.S.”. (Ref. NoPlaceToHide Greenwald/Snowden doc: Page 121).
The NSA documents also state “comprehensive cooperation” is provided to ‘first tier’ member states Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. While “focused cooperation” is exchanged with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary and 13 other nations.
GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE:
While the United States is able to reach and breach information on a global scale, its partners of the Five Eyes Intelligence Agency are valuable in part due to their location and geopolitical idiosyncrasies. Each has a unique opportunity capability.
The NSA documents show that Australia’s location and interactivity with Indonesia assists the NSA to target “high priority targets” inside Indonesia.
While it is yet to be clear what New Zealand provides the NSA in terms of international trading partner intelligence, New Zealand’s relationship and trading status with the People’s Republic of China provides a specific and unique trade-led environment that others, including the USA, do not share.
Also, New Zealand’s capital city Wellington is the location of a significant French diplo-contingent. The French Embassy in Wellington is the fourth largest of France’s foreign affairs posts and interconnects with France’s territories in Polynesia and French Polynesia. This includes its need to assist in the transit of its military hardware in the wider Pacific basin.
New Zealand’s external offshore signals surveillance, via the GCSB base at Waihopai, is now well known. What is not so well appreciated is that the GCSB’s patch is east of Australia’s east coast, northward and eastward then out into Polynesia and French Polynesia. It would seem likely that China aside, France’s interests in the Pacific are the target of New Zealand Government spying.
SO WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THIS INFORMATION?
So where does this intelligence all end up?
What kind of personal information is gathered?
The NSA documents show us that virtually everything is acquired.
Internet surfing, webmail (Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail etc), Facebook, Myspace etc, internet searching (Google, Bing, Wikipedia etc), online mapping (Google Maps, Mapquest etc).
Xkeyscore and a number of other platforms collect all forms of communications. To cite the NSA: “Communications, day to day activities, contacts and social networks, photographs, videos, personal information (e.g. addresses, phone, email addresses), location and travel information.”
Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, and now Kik, Instagram, Twitter and a host of other social media platforms provide the NSA “A very rich source of information on targets: personal details, pattern of life, connections and associates, media,” the NSA documents state.
And social media friends… if you think Facebook’s lockdown security settings provide you with privacy, think again. The NSA’s ‘Passive’ system enables this global system: “the opportunity to collect this information by exploiting inherent weaknesses in Facebook’s security model.”
[caption id="attachment_52536" align="alignleft" width="565"]
Facebook Surveillance.[/caption]
Also, at the time the NSA documents were acquired, the Five Eyes alliance was advancing its capability to track and monitor communications passengers of aircraft.
The UK’s GCHQ was leading this breakthrough technology. This new system referred to as Thieving Magpie hacks into any GSM and GPRS calls and data communications emitting form onboard aircraft. It is able to probe such communications every two seconds, while the aircraft is flying anywhere in the world.
In 2013 the NSA documents noted that “many airlines are offering on-board mobile phone services, particularly for long haul and business class (list is growing).”
Thieving Magpie was anticipated to provide XKeyScore “global coverage” via its Southwinds platform at some stage in 2014.
This technology announcement was provided to all Five Eyes member agencies, including New Zealand’s GCSB.
Of course, the New Zealand National-led Government has not informed its citizenry of any of this information.
The GCSB was informed that once Thieving Magpie’s global capability is achieved it will be “available to FVEY (Five Eyes) users” via a simple to use “light weight web page”.
THE SINISTER SIDE OF OUR SPYS’ METHODS:
Disturbingly, the NSA documents indicate how the use of sinister manipulation can destroy the reputations of Five Eyes targets, the NSA documents also describe how “radicalizers appear to be particularly vulnerable in the area of authority when their private and public behaviors are not consistent.
It lists four behaviors to look out for when surveilling a target, to identify the:
Effects-Definition.[/caption]
This information was presented by the NSA to New Zealand’s GCSB officers are a training/briefing session.
The NSA officer briefing the Five Eyes spies added: “Honey-trap; a great option. Very successful when it works. Get someone to go somewhere on the internet, or a physical location to be met by a ‘friendly face’. JTRIG has the ability to ‘shape’ the environment on occasions.”
The officer adds that changing a person’s photograph on a social media profile page is effective in driving up paranoia: “Can take paranoia to a whole new level.”
And the officer suggests email and txt operations can assist the state’s spies to gain credibility with online groups and infiltration of the same.
The above methods will no doubt ‘ring a few bells’ and cause some unease for New Zealanders who have become privy to the inner workings of Dirty Politics, as practiced by members of the National Party and their attack merchants in the blogosphere and media.
And in case the connection still seems value, here is a direct quote from the NSA briefing to the New Zealand GCSB: “Issues of trust and reputation are important when considering the validity and appeal of the message. It stands to reason that exploiting vulnerabilities of character, credibility, or both, of the radicalizer and his message could be enhanced by an understanding of the vehicles he uses to disseminate his message to the susceptible pool of people and where he is vulnerable in terms of access.”
If the messenger or target ‘radicalizer’ needs to be shut down, the NSA advice is to “Bombard their phone with text messages, bombard their phone with calls, delete their online presence, block up their fax machine.”
If a computer or site or network needs to be taken down, the officer also said: “Send them a virus: Ambassadors reception – encrypt itself, delete all emails, encrypt all files, make the screen shake, no more log on. Conduct a denial of service attack on their computer…”
According to the NSA documents, ‘Effects Operations’ save time and money when compared to “traditional law enforcement”.
And in a section titled: DISRUPTION Operational Playbook, it breaks it down into easy-to-follow terminology:
MIL OSI – Source: New Zealand State Services Commission – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Appointed: Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Appointed
[caption id="attachment_689" align="alignleft" width="296"]
Dr Brook Barrington.[/caption]State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie has today announced the appointment of Brook Barrington as Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
Mr Barrington is a senior public servant. His career includes 20 years in MFAT working on foreign policy and international trade issues, including as Ambassador to Thailand. More recently he has been Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, and for the last three years has been a Deputy Chief Executive at the Ministry of Justice.
“I am very pleased to appoint Brook Barrington to this important role,” Mr Rennie said.
“Brook has significant experience in diplomacy, international negotiations and trade as a former Ambassador and long serving diplomat, as well as experience in senior leadership roles in other sectors of the Public Service,” he said.
“MFAT has an important and unique role in representing New Zealand and promoting our interests overseas as well as providing assistance to New Zealanders in other countries when they need it”.
“Public agencies working together as a single ‘system’ focused on ongoing improvement to the services we provide New Zealanders is a major priority for the Public Service,” said Mr Rennie.
“I am confident Brook will be able to draw on his networks and experience across the Public Service to work as a team with other chief executives and ensure MFAT’s work is well integrated and aligned”.
Mr Barrington has been appointed for a five year term commencing on 23 March 2015.
Craig Hawke will be Acting Chief Executive until Mr Barrington takes up the role.
The Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for a network of 57 posts in 50 countries. MFAT has 103 accreditations to other countries and 74 Honorary Consuls.
ENDS
BIOGRAPHY OF BROOK BARRINGTON
Mr Barrington joined MFAT in 1990 and held a variety of roles both within New Zealand and offshore. He left MFAT in 2009 to take leadership positions in the wider public sector.
The first part of Mr Barrington’s career in MFAT was spent advancing New Zealand’s trade policy interests. He worked across government and the private sector, and had postings to Canberra and Brussels. The later part of his time in MFAT was more focused on political and security issues, including as Foreign Policy Advisor in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) and as Ambassador to Thailand for three years.
From 2009 until 2012 he was Deputy Secretary, Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Defence, where he led the development of the 2010 Defence White Paper.
Mr Barrington has recently held two Deputy Chief Executive (DCE) roles at the Ministry of Justice.
He was initially the DCE Sector (2012-2014) with a particular focus on improving alignment and governance across the justice sector (Ministry of Justice, NZ Police and Department of Corrections).
During 2014 he moved to the DCE role responsible for the overall management of the day-to-day operations of the Ministry of Justice, ensuring the Ministry has the strategy, governance, engagement and capability to deliver its core services effectively and efficiently.
Mr Barrington holds a PhD in history from the University of Auckland.
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MIL OSI – Source: Australia Government Ministerial Statements – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Building Partner Capacity in Iraq
Joint Statement: THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MP, Prime Minister, and, THE HON. KEVIN ANDREWS MP, Minister for Defence.The Government has decided to commence the preparation and training of a force to contribute to the international Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission in Iraq.
This decision marks the next phase of Australia’s contribution to the international coalition to disrupt, degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL, or Daesh, and follows requests for our participation from the Iraqi and United States Governments.
Working together, the Iraqi security forces and their coalition partners have stemmed Daesh’s onslaught. Now Iraq’s security forces require international training support to conduct effective offensive operations against Daesh and ultimately to take responsibility for their country’s security.
The Australian BPC force would be based at Taji, northwest of Baghdad, and the mission is expected to commence in May 2015.
The Australian contribution would include around 300 ADF personnel centred on a training team. The force would also comprise a substantial force protection element along with command and support elements.
This initial step of preparing the BPC force will enable the Australian Defence Force to commence planning, preparation and administration for the mission.
Australia’s participation in this mission would build on the active contributions of our Air Task Group and Special Operations Task Group to international efforts to counter Daesh in Iraq.
The Government will keep under review the size and nature of Australia’s commitment in Iraq, taking into account the increasing focus of coalition efforts on building the capacity of Iraq’s security forces.
The Australian BPC force would work closely with personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force who will be involved in the international BPC mission, which also includes forces from the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The decision to prepare for the BPC mission underlines Australia’s commitment to supporting stability in Iraq and the Middle East and helping to stop the spread of violent extremism to Australia and our own region.
This decision is in Australia’s national interest.
Recent attacks in Australia and elsewhere around the world show that no country is immune from the threat of terrorism.
3 March 2015
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Foreign policy + Intel + Security
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