74-550: Nicolas Alfred Hager ONZM (born 1958) is a New Zealand investigative journalist . He has produced seven books since 1996, covering topics such as intelligence networks, environmental issues and politics. He is one of two New Zealand members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists . Hager was born in Levin to a middle-class "socially aware" family. His father was from Vienna , Austria ,
148-727: A Values Party candidate for Pahiatua in the 1978 general election . After graduating from university, Hager worked at the ecology division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), and later worked with his brother-in-law building and renovating houses. Hager is an investigative journalist who has written seven books. As of July 2019, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), an international network that has 249 investigative reporters in over 90 countries, has Hager as one of only two New Zealand members. Hager works on
222-617: A Dame Grand Companion, formally receiving investiture in 2024 from Prince William . West Coast of New Zealand The West Coast ( Māori : Te Tai Poutini , lit. 'The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha ') is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island . It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council , and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini . It comprises
296-470: A Knight Grand Companion himself) restored the honours to their pre-April 2000 state. Principal Companions and Distinguished Companions (85 people in total) were given the option to convert their awards into Knighthoods or Damehoods. The restoration was welcomed by Monarchy New Zealand . The option has been taken up by 72 of those affected, including rugby great Colin Meads . Former Labour MP Margaret Shields
370-473: A Knight or Dame Companion, and thus not to accept the respective appellation of "Sir" or "Dame". The majority of those affected chose the aforereferenced appellations. After initially declining redesignation in 2009, Vincent O'Sullivan and Sam Neill accepted the change in December 2021 and June 2022, respectively. A change to non-titular honours was a recommendation contained within the original report of
444-750: A civil or military capacity. In the order of precedence , the New Zealand Order of Merit ranks immediately after the Order of New Zealand . Prior to 1996, New Zealanders received appointments to various British orders, such as the Order of the Bath , the Order of St Michael and St George , the Order of the British Empire , and the Order of the Companions of Honour , as well as the distinction of Knight Bachelor . The change came about after
518-574: A clothing manufacturer who emigrated to New Zealand as a refugee from the Nazis. His mother was born in Zanzibar (part of Tanzania ), where her father studied tropical medicine, and later grew up in Kenya and Uganda . His surname Hager is pronounced Har-gar, rhyming with lager . Hager studied physics at Victoria University of Wellington , where he also did an honours degree in philosophy. He stood as
592-553: A database of Labour Party members, emails and donations which were used to attack the Labour Party. Also in 2011 the PM's office used its knowledge of secret SIS documents to tip off a right-wing blogger and arrange an attack on Labour leader Phil Goff, and drafted Official Information Act requests for a right-wing blogger to use in other attacks. In mid-June 2018, Hager accepted an apology and compensation for "substantial damages" from
666-468: A leading author on U.S. intelligence agencies and the author of the books America's Secret Eyes in the Sky and The Ties That Bind . Secrets and Lies: The Anatomy of an Anti-Environmental PR Campaign was co-authored with Bob Burton and published in 1999. It documents the public relations information put out by Timberlands West Coast Limited in order to win public support for logging of native forests on
740-718: A member of the Defence Force had illegally provided Hager with information for his book Other People's War . The NZSIS had seized two months' worth of his home phone's metadata in an attempt to track down the NZDF member. Ultimately, the phone data found no link between Hager and the suspected NZDF member. In August 2019, the acting Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security found that the spy agency had no reasonable grounds for suspecting espionage and had failed to exercise caution when investigating Hager's source. In August 2014, Hager published Dirty Politics: How attack politics
814-541: A number of projects at any given time, gathering information about them and looks for sources and mentors. Some projects "come together" but others can continue for a number of years. Secret Power: New Zealand's Role in the International Spy Network , published in 1996, was Hager's first book. The book investigates various spying techniques, including signals intelligence (Sigint), a form of electronic eavesdropping between countries. The information
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#1732801263315888-467: A rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period ; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal . First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD, the area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern New Zealand dollars ' worth of
962-668: Is also a Secretary and Registrar (the Clerk of the Executive Council) and a Herald (the New Zealand Herald of Arms) of the Order. There also exist miniatures and lapel badges of the five levels of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Knight/Dames Grand Companion and Knight/Dames Companion are entitled to use the style Sir for males and Dame for females. The order's statutes grant heraldic privileges to members of
1036-466: Is also the most sparsely populated region, with just 1.50 people per square kilometre (3.88 per square mile). West Coast Region had a population of 33,390 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,815 people (5.7%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 1,242 people (3.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 17,031 males, 16,245 females and 117 people of other genders in 14,793 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
1110-576: Is at Shantytown . Other towns and settlements include: The West Coast region is governed by the West Coast Regional Council. Currently, it is chaired by Peter Haddock. The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the West Coast was estimated at NZ$ 2,373 million in the year to March 2022, 0.7% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $ 72,127 in the same period. The region had one of
1184-907: Is in Greymouth. The region has been included in the "Top 10 Coastal Drives of the World" by Lonely Planet . The region has the only New Zealand nesting place of the kōtuku (white heron) , at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve , visited by tours from the small farming township of Whataroa . This rare bird appears on the $ 2 coin. Over 80% of West Coast land is administered by the Department of Conservation, much of this being in National Parks. These include from north to south, parts of Kahurangi NP, Paparoa NP, parts of Arthurs Pass NP, Westland NP, parts of Aspiring NP plus
1258-435: Is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment , featuring leaked emails between National Party figures and right-wing bloggers. According to Hager the book aims to tell the story of "how attack politics is poisoning NZ's political environment". Among the claims in the book are that during the 2011 election campaign a right-wing blogger, Cameron Slater , who is the son of former National Party President John Slater, obtained
1332-481: Is shown in the participants' own words. Many of the party's previously anonymous major donors are identified and relations with them are documented. The book was initially prevented from being published when Brash obtained an injunction preventing anyone from publishing material from emails that had been stolen from him. At the time Brash was unaware that Hager had completed and was about to launch his book. However, on 23 November 2006, Brash announced his resignation from
1406-573: Is unsurprising, given that the conclusions that can be drawn are not palatable ones. The documents raise some serious questions about the level of open government New Zealand really has and the strength of our much-vaunted biosecurity regime." In November 2006 Hager's book The Hollow Men: A Study in the Politics of Deception was published. The book details a wide range of National Party internal party documents including emails which were leaked by six National Party insiders. The documents were written by
1480-518: Is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains and a very high proportion of native bush , much of it native temperate rain forest . It is the only part of New Zealand where significant tracts of lowland forest remain: elsewhere, for instance on the Canterbury Plains and in the Firth of Thames , they have been almost completely destroyed for settlement and agriculture. Scenic areas include
1554-669: The ACT New Zealand party deriding the PCNZM's initials as standing for "a Politically Correct New Zealand that used to be a Monarchy". The issue of titular honours would appear whenever honours were mentioned. In the lead up to the 2005 general election , Leader of the Opposition Don Brash suggested that should a National-led government be elected, he would reverse Labour's changes and re-introduce knighthoods. In 2009, Prime Minister John Key (later to become
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#17328012633151628-725: The Haast Pass , Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers , Hokitika Gorge , Lake Brunner , the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki , the Oparara Arches and the Heaphy Track . The region has very high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and the location of the Southern Alps, which give rise to heavy orographic precipitation . The rain shadow effect is responsible for the relatively arid climate of
1702-587: The New Zealand Police for raiding his home in 2014 as part of their investigation into the hacking that led to the Dirty Politics book. The Police also acknowledged accessing his financial records as part of the apology settlement. On 21 September 2016, Nicky Hager was subpoenaed by Colin Craig 's lawyers to testify as part of the latter's defence in a defamation suit filed by Jordan Williams,
1776-523: The New Zealand royal honours system . It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II , Queen of New Zealand , "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits", to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in
1850-703: The UKUSA Agreement facilitating intelligence gathering and sharing between the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Since the Edward Snowden revelations, this partnership has become more commonly known as the Five Eyes . As a result, the insights into the inner workings of the GCSB provide information about the allied agencies as well. In particular, Hager documented
1924-496: The West Coast of New Zealand . The material is based on a large amount of documentation leaked by a staff member from the local branch of Shandwick (now Weber Shandwick Worldwide ), a global public relations company, which had been hired by Timberlands to run a secret campaign against environmental groups such as Native Forest Action between 1997 and 1999. The book describes its tactics of surveillance of meetings, monitoring
1998-499: The territorial authorities of Buller District , Grey District and Westland District . The principal towns are Westport , Greymouth and Hokitika . The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023. The region has
2072-661: The " War on Terror ". Using leaked military information, Hager highlights the difference between what New Zealand was told about its role in Afghanistan and Iraq, and what the leaked documents show. The book demonstrates the role of public relations in blurring the lines between the idea of military as a public service and the agendas that the New Zealand Defence Force was orchestrating for foreign interests. Hager concludes that New Zealand needs greater accountability and neutrality in its armed forces. It
2146-589: The 1995 honours committee ( The New Zealand Royal Honours System: The Report of the Prime Minister’s Honours Advisory Committee ) which prompted the creation of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Titular honours were incorporated into the new system before its implementation in 1996 after the National Party caucus and public debate were split as to whether titles should be retained. There has long been debate in New Zealand regarding
2220-399: The 2019–2020 season, there were 150,000 milking cows on the West Coast, 3.0% of the country's total herd. The cows produced 50,700 tonnes of milk solids, worth $ 365 million at the national average farmgate price ($ 7.20 per kg). Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of greenstone jewellery, sphagnum moss gathering and stone-collection for garden landscaping. Monteith's brewery
2294-552: The Canterbury Plains on the other side of the Southern Alps. The region is home to Ngāi Tahu , who value it for the greenstone (pounamu) found there in abundance. The region was only occasionally visited by Europeans until the discovery of gold near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors, many of them around
Nicky Hager - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-627: The Hokitika area, which in 1866 was briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand. The region was divided between Nelson Province and Canterbury Province from 1853: in 1873 the Canterbury portion of the region formed its own province, the Westland Province , until the abolition of the provincial system in 1876. The West Coast gold rush between 1864 and 1867 created numerous gold rush towns such as Ōkārito, which at one time
2442-494: The NZDF's trust and credibility. Left-wing blogger Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury supported Hager and Stephenson's assertions that New Zealand forces had committed war crimes. The conservative blogger Matthew Hooton, Amnesty International New Zealand's Executive Director Grant Bayldon, and Fairfax political editor Tracey Watkins supported calls for an independent inquiry into New Zealand war crimes. The-then Prime Minister Bill English rejected calls for an inquiry into NZSAS actions on
2516-525: The NZSIS. In the 2023 King's Birthday and Coronation Honours , Hager was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit , for services to investigative journalism. Hager lives in Wellington in a house that he built from parts of demolished houses with money inherited from his parents. Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in
2590-564: The Prime Minister's Honours Advisory Committee (1995) was created "to consider and present options and suggestions on the structure of a New Zealand Royal Honours System in New Zealand, which is designed to recognise meritorious service, gallantry and bravery and long service". The monarch of New Zealand is the Sovereign of the order and the governor-general is its Chancellor. Appointments are made at five levels: From 2000 to 2009,
2664-718: The South Westland World Heritage Area. Each of these parks have flora and fauna common to all areas, as well as species, like kiwi, particular to those areas. Four roads run into the West Coast Region. The main road running the length of the region is State Highway 6 . It connects to the Tasman District in the north through the Buller Gorge , and to Otago in the south via Haast Pass . Two roads connect to Canterbury to
2738-655: The US-coordinated ECHELON system, through which the five agencies intercept and process huge volumes of international e-mail, fax and telephone communications. Hager was one of the earliest to write about the secretive ECHELON worldwide electronic spy network. As a result of his book, in 2001 he testified before the European Parliament on his research into the network. The book contained two forewords, one written by former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange and one by Jeffrey T. Richelson ,
2812-507: The allegations raised by Hit & Run . On 13 March 2018, the New Zealand Defence Force confirmed that the location of an Afghan village mentioned in the book Hit & Run was the same place where the NZSAS raid Operation Burnham took place but maintained that claims of civilian casualties were "unfounded." On 19 March, the NZDF confirmed that the photos published in Hit & Run were taken in
2886-492: The appropriateness of titles. Some feel it is no longer appropriate as New Zealand has not been a colony since 1907, and to these people titles are out of step with present-day New Zealand. Others feel that titles carry both domestic and international recognition, and that awarded on the basis of merit they remain an appropriate recognition of excellence. In April 2000 the then new Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark , announced that knighthoods and damehoods had been abolished and
2960-428: The best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. Ecotourism is now an important industry, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts. The West Coast region covers 23,245.52 km (8,975.15 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 34,800 as of June 2024, 0.7% of New Zealand's population. It is the least populous of New Zealand's sixteen regions. The West Coast
3034-756: The book's release, the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment , Barry Carbon, conceded that the book was largely accurate but disputed the interpretation of the material. The Christchurch newspaper The Press studied the official documents and concluded: "So who's telling the truth, Hager or the Government? Officials at a special briefing for journalists last week memorably commented that they did not disagree with most of Hager's facts, just his conclusions. That
Nicky Hager - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-420: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,658 (9.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 15,825 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,490 (30.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 32,700, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 1,956 people (7.0%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
3182-511: The co-founder of the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union . Hager had initially volunteered to give evidence, however decided he did not want to after Mr Williams gave evidence in relation to Craig's treatment of his former press secretary, Rachel MacGregor. Craig gave evidence that he had read Hager's book Dirty Politics before producing his pamphlet Dirty Politics and Hidden Agendas , which was found to have defamed Williams. Hager took
3256-424: The east, State Highway 7 through Lewis Pass to North Canterbury and State Highway 73 via Arthur's Pass to Christchurch . The Midland railway line is the only railway line into the region. It links to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass. The TranzAlpine train service runs return between Christchurch and Greymouth daily and freight lines extend to Ngākawau and Hokitika . Daily passenger flights operate into
3330-674: The exact location of the villages wrong but asserted that other information including the villages' names were correct. In late March 2017, the Tirgiran Valley villagers' lawyers McLeod, Rodney Harrison, and Deborah Manning requested that the New Zealand Government undertake a formal inquiry into the events at Naik and Khak Khuday Dad villages. Hager and Stephenson's book attracted considerable media coverage and commentary in New Zealand. University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis opined that Operation Burnham damaged
3404-456: The fighters were found but 15 civilians were wounded and six killed. The authors asserted that the NZSAS actions could be considered war crimes and alleged a cover up by the New Zealand Defence Force . The New Zealand Defence Force Chief Lieutenant-General Tim Keating challenged the book's accuracy and denied that NZ forces had operated in the Naik and Khak Khuday Dad villages. He asserted that
3478-603: The first and second level, who are entitled to have the Order's circlet ("a green circle, edged gold, and inscribed with the Motto of the Order in gold") surrounding their shield. Grand Companions are also entitled to heraldic supporters . The Chancellor is entitled to supporters and a representation of the Collar of the Order around his/her shield. The following contains the names of the small number of living Distinguished Companions (DCNZM) who chose not to convert their appointment to
3552-445: The five levels, there are three different types of membership. Ordinary membership is limited to citizens of New Zealand or a Commonwealth realm . "Additional" members, appointed on special occasions, are not counted in the numerical limits. People who are not citizens of a Commonwealth realm are given "Honorary" membership; if they subsequently adopt citizenship of a Commonwealth realm they are eligible for Additional membership. There
3626-509: The grounds of inaccuracies in Hit & Run . In August 2017, the Afghan villagers' three lawyers took the New Zealand Government to court over its refusal to hold an inquiry into Operation Burnham. Following the formation of a new Labour-New Zealand First-Greens coalition government after the 2017 general election , Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced in early November that they would hold an inquiry into
3700-416: The indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. The region was also heavily sought after by nuclear weapons states in the 1950s for its abundant resources of uranium , which many West Coasters found objectionable. The West Coast is the only region of New Zealand where coal mining is still widely practiced. The name Westland is used by some New Zealanders to refer to
3774-532: The leadership of the National Party. The following day he had the injunction lifted, allowing the book to be released. The Hollow Men was made into a theatrical piece by playwright Dean Parker . Hager assisted with the feature-length documentary of the book, made by Alister Barry, that was released in July 2008. In August 2011 Hager published Other People's Wars , an investigation into New Zealand's role in
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#17328012633153848-617: The logging of publicly owned native forests and provided a $ 120 million transition package for the West Coast economy. Seeds of Distrust: The Story of a GE Cover-up was a study of government processes and decision-making under New Zealand's Labour-led government. The book details an incident in November 2000, during the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification , when government officials were alerted to evidence of an accidental release of genetically modified corn plants, which
3922-634: The meaning of honour . The book explored the New Zealand Special Air Service 's involvement in Operation Burnham , a retaliatory military raid on two Afghan villages, Naik and Khak Khuday Dad, in Afghanistan's Tirgiran Valley in August 2010. The NZSAS soldiers had attacked a village while pursuing Taliban fighters following the death of a New Zealand soldier in a roadside bomb. According to Hager and Stephenson, none of
3996-419: The northern half of the region, especially around Westport . Many of these continued in operation until the mid-20th century, and several survive. Timber has also long been a major industry, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of the region is public land administered by the Department of Conservation and the region has some of
4070-593: The order's statutes amended. From 2000 to 2009, the two highest levels of the Order were Principal Companion (PCNZM) and Distinguished Companion (DCNZM), without the appellation of "Sir" or "Dame"; appointment to all levels of the Order were recognised solely by the use of post-nominal letters. A National Business Review poll in February 2000 revealed that 54% of New Zealanders thought the titles should be scrapped. The Labour Government's April 2000 changes were criticised by opposition parties, with Richard Prebble of
4144-466: The party leader Don Brash and a wide range of people associated with him. The origin of the book was the exposing of Exclusive Brethren secret funding of National Party election advertising during the 2005 general election. It describes the National Party strategy discussions and the techniques the party advisors used to try to win the 2005 national elections. The thinking behind major speeches, media management, election advertising and election messages
4218-486: The press and responding to every letter to the editor, greenwashing , the use of strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPPs), cleaning anti-logging graffiti and blotting out campaign posters in public places, and managing to install its pro-logging educational materials into schools. The year after the book's publication, the new Labour government passed the Forests ( West Coast Accord ) Act 2000, which halted
4292-401: The raid had taken place at the nearby "Tirgiran Valley village" and that the raid was carried out to protect New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team in neighbouring Bamiyan Province . In response, the Tirgiran Valley villagers' lawyers including Richard McLeod responded that "Tirgiran Valley village" did not exist and challenged Keating's assertions. Hager and Stephenson acknowledged getting
4366-603: The same location where Operation Burnham had taken place. On 9 April 2018, the Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier ruled in favour of the New Zealand Defense Force's decision to withhold most of the information relating to Operation Burnham. On 11 April, Attorney-General David Parker announced that the Government would be holding an inquiry into Operation Burnham and the allegations in Hit & Run . On 16 April 2018, Nicky Hager
4440-443: The south, a distance of 600 km. It has an area of 23,246 km . To the west is the Tasman Sea (which like the Southern Ocean can be very rough, with four-metre swells common), and to the east are the Southern Alps . Much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of the population resides. It is divided into the three local government districts of (from north to south) Buller , Grey and Westland . The land
4514-447: The stand as an expert witness and alleged that publications linked to Jordan Williams on Cameron Slater's blog attacked Craig and followed a similar pattern that had been documented in his book. After testifying for fifteen minutes, Hager was not cross-examined by Williams' lawyers and was allowed to leave by the judge. In March 2017, Hager and fellow journalist Jon Stephenson published Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and
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#17328012633154588-410: The stone across New Zealand , making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country. After the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped gold reserves, which historically had not been highly valued. The region was subsequently settled by thousands of Irish Catholics after the Irish Famine , who constitute the majority of the population, alongside
4662-422: The strongest growing regional economies of New Zealand in 2022, though from a rather small base. Industries include mining for coal and alluvial gold , forestry and wood processing, fishing (including whitebaiting ), tourism and farming. Dairy farming has grown strongly – the local dairy co-operative Westland Milk Products remained independent when most others merged to form Fonterra in 2001. In
4736-408: The two highest levels of the Order were Principal Companion (PCNZM) and Distinguished Companion (DCNZM), without the appellation of "Sir" or "Dame". The number of Knights and Dames Grand Companion (and Principal Companions) is limited to 30 living people. Additionally, new appointments are limited to 15 Knights or Dames Companion, 40 Companions, 80 Officers and 140 Members per year. As well as
4810-415: The whole of the West Coast, including Grey District , Buller District and Fiordland , and can also refer to the short-lived Westland Province of 1873–76. Fiordland is on the west coast, but is in the Southland Region rather than the West Coast Region. Inhabitants of the West Coast are colloquially known as "Coasters". The region reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in
4884-507: Was 48.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,448 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 4,518 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,861 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,563 (22.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.7% European ( Pākehā ); 13.5% Māori ; 1.6% Pasifika ; 4.0% Asian ; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
4958-426: Was appointed as a member of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security 's Reference Group , an advisory group of journalists, lawyers, academics, and advocates that would scrutinise the legality of the actions of New Zealand's intelligence agencies, the NZSIS and GCSB. Hager's appointment was criticised by the National Party's GCSB and NZSIS spokesperson Gerry Brownlee , who pointed to his previous criticism of
5032-436: Was illegal under New Zealand law . The book traces the stages of industry lobbying and government decision making leading up to a decision to regard the incident as insignificant and keep it secret from the public. The book was released in July 2002, just as a snap election was called, and helped make genetically modified organisms a major election issue. At a media conference of government officials convened immediately after
5106-686: Was one of those who accepted a Damehood, despite receiving a letter from former Prime Minister Helen Clark "setting out why Labour had abolished the titles and saying she hoped she would not accept one". Clark's senior deputy, Michael Cullen , also accepted a knighthood. Appointments continued when Labour returned to government in 2017 as the Sixth Labour Government . The 2018 New Year Honours included seven knights and dames. The government did not comment on its position regarding knighthoods and damehoods, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern did specifically congratulate two women on becoming Dames Companion. On leaving office in 2023, Ardern accepted appointment as
5180-579: Was recognised internationally, with investigative journalist Seymour Hersh stating in a review, "Nicky Hager has more knowledge and understanding of the American intelligence world in Afghanistan – both its good and its very bad points – than any reporter I know." Other People’s Wars was also adapted into a play by Dean Parker in 2012. In late November 2022, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) apologised to Hager and paid NZ$ 66,400 in compensation and legal fees after it illegally accessed his phone records in 2012. The spy agency believed that
5254-556: Was spoken by 98.0%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 29.8% Christian , 0.6% Hindu , 0.2% Islam , 0.3% Māori religious beliefs , 0.4% Buddhist , 0.7% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.8%, and 9.0% of people did not answer
5328-584: Was taken from interviews with staff in New Zealand's Sigint agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), who revealed the workings of the agency in minute detail: the intelligence targets, equipment, operating procedures, security systems and training, as well as the staff and layout of the intelligence agency's facilities. The book makes special mention of GCSB's facilities at Waihopai and Tangimoana . It revealed aspects of New Zealand's participation in
5402-487: Was that 12,819 (45.9%) people were employed full-time, 4,101 (14.7%) were part-time, and 687 (2.5%) were unemployed. There are only four towns with a population over 1,000: Greymouth , Westport , Hokitika and Runanga . These four towns, plus Reefton (population 980), are recognised as urban areas by Statistics New Zealand. During the gold rush days, Hokitika had a population of more than 25,000 with more than 100 pubs . A recreation of an early New Zealand settlement
5476-491: Was the largest town on the West Coast but quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established. Following greenstone and gold, the next valuable mineral was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s coal had become the region's main industry, with mines throughout
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