GCSB Tangimoana

The Government Communications Security Bureau operates what it describes as a radio communications interception facility at Tangimoana, 30 kilometres west of Palmerston North.

According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), the facility is part of ECHELON, the worldwide network of signals interception facilities run by the UKUSA consortium of intelligence agencies (which shares global electronic and signals intelligence among the Intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and NZ); its role in this capacity was first identified publicly by peace researcher Owen Wilkes in 1984, and investigated in detail by peace activist and independent journalist Nicky Hager.

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

Operations

According to the FAS, the equipment at the Tangimoana facility "is equally capable of receiving signals transmitted by radio and satellite which do not include foreign intelligence and which are domestic concerning and involving NZ citizens."

SOURCE: Wikipedia Tangimoana

The mandate of the Government Communications Security Bureau [GCSB] is to satisfy the foreign intelligence requirements of the NZ Government. The focus of its intelligence activities is restricted to foreign intelligence. GCSB collects, assesses, produces reports and disseminates foreign intelligence to meet the national foreign intelligence requirements of the New Zealand Government and its agencies. It also has subsidiary functions which assist its collection capability by signals research identification and analysis of signal sources and devices.

Collection is made from electronic communication transmitted through satellite, radio waves or other open means. GCSB does not intercept private or other communication transmitted by telephone land lines. GCSB operates a satellite monitoring station at Waihopai near Blenheim and a radio receiving station at Tangimoana near Foxton. These are both capable of receiving and collecting foreign intelligence. The equipment is equally capable of receiving signals transmitted by radio and satellite which do not include foreign intelligence and which are domestic concerning and involving NZ citizens.

Government initiatives announced in 1997 to enhance the foreign signals intelligence collection capability of the GCSB include constructing a second antenna at Waihopai and to extend the authority of the GCSB to collect foreign voice communications. The latter was attended to by the making of the Crimes (Exemption of Listening Device) Order 1997. That exempted the GCSB's station at Waihopai from the provisions of Part IX.A of the Crimes Act 1961 for the purpose only of intercepting foreign voice communications containing foreign intelligence.

Through the UK-USA agreements, GCSB has links with the National Security Agency US, Communications Security Establishment Canada, Defence Signals Directorate Australia and the Government Communications Headquarters United Kingdom. 

Sources and Methods:

• INSPECTOR-GENERAL'S PRELIMINARY REPORT ON GCSB Wednesday, 24 June 1998 
• PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY BUREAU'S INTERNAL RULES FOR THE COLLECTION AND REPORTING OF FOREIGN COMMUNICATIONS AND ANY ADVERSE OR IMPROPER IMPACT ON THE PRIVACY OF NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security - 24 June 1998 
• Secret Power New Zealand's Role in the International Spy Network by Nicky Hagar
• EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM: by Nicky Hagar Covert Action Quarterly Winter 1997
• Network Security: Policies in Practice Justine Bone and Malcolm Shore, Government Communications Security Bureau - 4 March 1998
• New Zealand Crypto Policy - Confusion now hath made his masterpiece Peter Gutmann
• Information Security news New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS) 
• Petition to abolish the Government Security Communications Bureau, initiated by the Anti-Bases Campaign 

SOURCE: Government Communications Security Bureau [GCSB]