New Zealand / Regional

Morning Report: local papers

07:54 am on 9 April 2013

Tuesday's headlines: GCSB may have unlawfully spied on 85 people since 2003 according to a leaked report prepared by cabinet secretary Rebecca Kitteridge.

Waikato Times

The Waikato Times leads with details from a leaked report which says the Government Communciations Security Bureau may have unlawfully spied on 85 people, dating back to 2003. The report, prepared by cabinet secretary Rebecca Kitteridge, was ordered after the Dotcom fiasco and contains a raft of criticisms of the GCSB. It recommends an overhaul of the law guiding the Bureau's activities.

And the paper says the bureau's former deputy director, Hugh Wolfensohn, wore too many hats and did not have enough time to deal with legal advice. Mr Wolfensohn resigned over the Dotcom spy scandal after working at the bureau for 25 years.

Dominion Post

The Dominion Post says the bureau's organisation is overly complex, has too many managers and is isolated from the rest of the public service.

It says record-keeping within the bureau is poor and staff who are not performing are tolerated rather than fired, because of fears they could later pose a security risk.

The paper says the report's findings are due to be discussed by Parliament's intelligence and security committee next week.

The Press

The Press says the 71-page report was given to Prime Minister John Key last month, but is yet to be made public. It says the agency may have breached other laws including the Privacy Act and the Defence Act.

Other news:

NZ Herald

The New Zealand Herald leads with tributes to the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died after suffering a stroke.

The paper quotes British Prime Minister David Cameron as saying the country has lost a great leader, and a great Briton.

Former Conservative party leader Michael Howard says Lady Thatcher not only saved the country, but transformed the economy and will go down in history as one of the greatest prime ministers.

ODT

The Otago Daily Times leads with the case of a former Queenstown postie jailed for stealing more than 21-thousand items of mail. The paper says she was often too hungover to complete her duties.

Protestors opposed to oil exploration caused a meeting between Shell and business groups in Dunedin to be abandoned on Monday.