Where have our rights gone?

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 20th, 2018 - 49 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, democracy under attack, democratic participation, Dirty Politics, Left, national, police, same old national - Tags:

Great to see that the State Services Commissioner has widened the investigation into the use of private investigators hired by the state against its citizens.

But.

What an honest government would do is widen the investigation into the Police themselves, who feel they have the right to break into the home of an investigative reporter and take their stuff. I believe their choice of journalist to attack show the political bias of the Police against the left.

Whether you support their causes or not, Greenpeace New Zealand have also shown the bias of the public service against the left.

Banks now also believe they have the right to hand personal information over so that further leads can be hunted down.

Police have also behaved recently as if they can break in and smash people’s privacy.

It is the state and all its arms that need to be held to account and told that they are there to protect us, not to attack us.

The body charged with protecting our human rights – the Human Rights Commission – is ineffective and in complete disarray.

Bill Of Rights reviews of New Zealand legislative bills have been routinely smothered, particularly under the previous nine years of National-led government.

Both the public service and the Police owe it to us – you and me – to show that they will stop attacking the left, and protect the rights of the left to be the royal pain in the ass that this country needs.

It is well overdue that the rights of individual citizens are protected against all forms of the state’s power in New Zealand. Right now they demonstrably are not.

This reassertion of the civil liberties of New Zealanders will take more than an internal inquiry by the State Services Commissioner.

This needs the Prime Minister to hold both the Police and the entire public service to account.

49 comments on “Where have our rights gone? ”

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  1. Ross 1
    20 June 2018 at 8:14 am

    This story follows a request by Valerie Morse in April although the media dont seem to have mentioned her.

    https://fyi.org.nz/request/7571-thompson-clark#incoming-25959

  2. OnceWasTim 2
    20 June 2018 at 8:48 am

    “This needs the Prime Minister to hold both the Police and the entire public service to account.”
    Abso-fucking-lutely.

    I think it’s now evident that the rot has been happening at senior levels within the PS for quite some time, but especially over the past junta’s reign.
    Myself and others have been saying that much of our PS is run as a series of little (sometimes large) fiefdoms.
    Corporatised and hierarchical, and in some cases with a very macho and arrogant culture. Codes of Conduct don’t seem to apply in a way they once used to. The use of outside consultants and contractors and an attempt to outsource accountability (often justified by senior management as getting an ‘independant’ view – except the usual protagonists with an ideological agenda are commissioned).

    Pleasing to see that there is a growing recognition that things have gone tits up in recent times and that at least they’re being scrutinised.

  3. Puckish Rogue 3
    20 June 2018 at 8:49 am

    My view on this is quite simple, if you have been found to have broken the law (in court not public opinion) then you should face the full penalty of the law

    Yes that includes any and all politicians, current or former, left wing or right wing, knights or otherwise

    • Ad 3.1
      20 June 2018 at 8:54 am

      In the case of the SIS use of Thompson Brown, it is almost impossible to hold them to account in any New Zealand court.

      It is also nearly impossible to put the Police on trial – I am not aware of it happening in New Zealand. Happy to stand corrected.

      The Courts and the law are necessary but insufficient here.

      This also needs Prime Ministerial intervention to hold the whole of the system to account, because only that person can.

      • dukeofurl 3.1.1
        20 June 2018 at 9:28 am

        Were the SIS ‘using’ Thompson Brown for their work or was it just a single person in the SIS who was acting as a spotter for new business in the wider public service

        Maybe TB were the place where ex SIS ( and maybe police) people went to boost their retirement funds?
        The police and SIS seem the likely place individuals receive their undercover training before …… the big wide world

        • Ad 3.1.1.1
          20 June 2018 at 9:48 am

          Given the level of clearance required to get that information, I suspect it will take the SIS Inspector General to find out.

        • Venezia 3.1.1.2
          20 June 2018 at 10:11 am

          The company under the spotlight is Thompson and Clark.

          • Michelle 3.1.1.2.1
            20 June 2018 at 10:32 am

            Its not just Thompson and Clarke our police and all government agencies under the last 9 yrs of the last government rule we have seem an abuse of power in all sectors bringing many of our agencies into disrepute they need the broom now.
            NZders privacy has been extremely eroded and too many stupid people have said ‘nothing to hide nothing to fear’ Well lets now apply this to those state agencies and there masters that have been abusing there power.

            • dukeofurl 3.1.1.2.1.1
              20 June 2018 at 11:38 am

              https://www.protectivesecurity.govt.nz/

              looks like it has been semi-outsourced as the answer to most questions is Thompson and Clark

              FAQ
              Common Questions
              Who can I contact for more protective security advice?
              Do you provide training?
              What is a national security clearance?
              Is a national security clearance still valid if I move to another government agency?
              How do I report a security incident?
              Can I be issued with a temporary national security clearance?
              When do I need to report a change in circumstances?
              What do I need to consider before travelling overseas?
              When should I report contact with a foreign citizen?
              Who is responsible for protective security across government?
              How does the PSR relate to the GCIO-led Information and Privacy Security Programme?
              How is the security for my workplace determined?
              I am going to a cross agency meeting, will the other agencies recognise my national security clearance?
              What happens when there has been a security breach?
              Can I access protectively marked material that is higher than my national security clearance level?
              How do I protectively mark or classify a document?
              What reporting on protective security is required by my agency?
              What happens when I have been granted a security clearance?
              How do I maintain my national security clearance?
              I am considering applying for a role that requires a national security clearance, what do I need to consider?

      • Tricledrown 3.1.2
        20 June 2018 at 6:58 pm

        Keteridge fox in charge of the hen house.

    • Robert Guyton 3.2
      20 June 2018 at 8:57 am

      Pucky; the police in the Hagar case?

    • Robert Guyton 3.3
      20 June 2018 at 8:59 am

      The kauri thieves?

    • Robert Guyton 3.4
      20 June 2018 at 8:59 am

      The assaulters of pony-tail wearers?

      • Puckish Rogue 3.4.1
        20 June 2018 at 9:25 am

        As long as the courts, and not public opinion, find its illegal then they face the consequences

        http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/judge_dredd_19ba.png

        • arkie 3.4.1.1
          20 June 2018 at 9:32 am

          Instant Justice

        • OnceWasTim 3.4.1.2
          20 June 2018 at 10:43 am

          @PR
          Do you see the State Services Commission having any role?

          There are so many questions to be asked about the state of the PS, and AT LEAST the current review will hopefully address some of them. (But then again, maybe not)

          What possessed senior management to think it OK to use T&C in the manner they did, and what are the consequences to them (in DOC, MPI and MoBIE)? Including those that signed off on it all

          What makes a Senior Manager think it OK to instruct a public servant under them not to call Police over a criminal matter – instead opting to call in a private investigator in order to determine whether or not Police should be called?

          Of the people in MPI covered this morning on ‘Morning Report’ for which the RNZ reporter was told they were “no longer working for MPI” – where are they now? Are they elsewhere in the PS – either permanent of contract? and are they being supervised adequately?

          We have a PS that in many cases is not actually serving a public

          • Puckish Rogue 3.4.1.2.1
            20 June 2018 at 10:50 am

            I haven’t actually been following this so my comments are more to be taken generally so I’m taking on trust (yeah yeah I know) that the investigation will answer these questions and any more that crop up

          • Gabby 3.4.1.2.2
            20 June 2018 at 11:41 am

            Wasn’t there a recent reshuffle of public servant bosses? I’m sure it’s unrelated.

            • dukeofurl 3.4.1.2.2.1
              20 June 2018 at 4:59 pm

              Its the reverse of ‘if everyone is responsible then no one is accountable.’

              Hughes is cunning by spreading the net widely so that ‘everyone is accountable and no one is responsible’

          • Anne 3.4.1.2.3
            20 June 2018 at 5:30 pm

            We have a PS that in many cases is not actually serving a public.

            Right on the button OWT!

            Oh boy, could I tell some stories of my years in the P.S. In all instances, the public was the last thing on their minds as they wheeled and dealed, head-butted and greased their way up the promotional ladder. If you pointed out to them… they are there in the first instance to serve the public not themselves, they would look at you as if you were stark raving mad.

        • Tricledrown 3.4.1.3
          20 June 2018 at 9:37 pm

          PR trying to sanitize the tyranny

    • Stuart Munro 3.5
      20 June 2018 at 9:04 am

      I’ll believe that when I see it.

      SCF, with all its billions in value was removed from Hubbard without a single day in court.

      The criminals responsible are all still living large.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.6
      20 June 2018 at 9:06 am

      …und deshalb müssen wir Kinder von ihren Familien trennen.

  4. Philg 4
    20 June 2018 at 9:32 am

    ” Where have our rights gone? ” Very good question. Without our personal privacy safeguarded, they have gone away… .

  5. Anne 5
    20 June 2018 at 11:02 am

    A thousand thanks Ad. It is high time this state of affairs was highlighted. It is nothing new. In fact it has been going on for decades.

    In the 1970s my father was investigated. By the early 1980s (probably sooner) I was also under investigation. It was all clandestine stuff but the evidence became obvious to my father in the first instance and eventually me. Over the years there were a few other people who witnessed individual incidents. The fallout for me lasted a further 20 years and some of the stuff I endured was very nasty indeed. Neither of us were remotely guilty of any wrong-doing. It was simply in the eyes of the ignorant and paranoid beholders of the day.

    From my own experiences, I should like to see a Royal Commission set up which could look into the past as well as the present and include all the arms of the Public Service and the private entities with which they do (or did) business. It would enable people like me (and there must be plenty of them) feel able to come forward and tell our stories in what – one would hope – was a safe and non-hostile environment.

    • OnceWasTim 5.1
      20 June 2018 at 12:26 pm

      Yep @ Anne.
      Good to see that DHBs will be included in the review. It should also include ALL local government and the relationships between elected representatives and the PS, and how they should operate.
      You’re correct that there’s been dysfunction going back many years but from what I’ve seen, the past three decades under the neoliberal religion have meant much less of what we was promised under the last lot of reforms in the 80s: i.e. all that efficiency and effective kaka, depoliticisation, etc.

  6. Draco T Bastard 6
    20 June 2018 at 11:35 am

    Banks now also believe they have the right to hand personal information over so that further leads can be hunted down.

    I think the banks that handed over information without a warrant need to be fined several million dollars each.

    It is well overdue that the rights of individual citizens are protected against all forms of the state’s power in New Zealand. Right now they demonstrably are not.

    This reassertion of the civil liberties of New Zealanders will take more than an internal inquiry by the State Services Commissioner.

    This needs the BoRA to become supreme law and no government is going to allow that to happen.

    This needs the Prime Minister to hold both the Police and the entire public service to account.

    For that to have any use at all is that it helps the BoRA to supreme law. Without any teeth to back up such an inquiry there’ll be no point to it. As it is the inquiry will just say Well, these people did bad but… Oh, dear, how sad, never mind, carry on.

  7. dukeofurl 7
    20 June 2018 at 11:50 am

    This was interesting

    “Problem is, the law (the Private Investigators and Security Guards Act) was passed 34 years ago and was concerned with protecting the public from the activities of private investigators, much of whose work involved collecting evidence for divorce cases.

    Consequently section 52 prohibits private investigators from covert photography, videotaping and voice recording without the target’s written consent.

    ‘Gary Harrison is in his 13th year as the Registrar of Private Investigators and Security Guards. It’s a senior but little-known position ‘
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10502126

    Hmmm what if said private investigators were employed by the state?

    And what exactly is on the Register for CTIL?

    Thompson and Clark Investigations Ltd
    Application
    Applicant Name: Thompson and Clark Investigations Ltd
    Application Type: New Company Licence
    Application Number: PSPLA 009924 / 2011
    Applicant Occupation:
    Date Received: 01-Jun-2011
    Licence/Certificate
    Status: Expired
    Temporary/Full: Full permit
    Licence/Certificate Number: 11-009924
    Version Number: 365
    Start Date: 02-May-2012
    Expiry Date: 02-May-2017

    https://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/licences-certificates/pspla/public-register-of-licence-and-certificate-holders/

  8. adam 8
    20 June 2018 at 12:34 pm

    Great piece Ad, I won’t hold my breath on the conclusions you come to though. This government way more than the last may do it, but I doubt it. For no other reason, the hard right in this country are willing to throw anyone, and anything under the bus for power. From a ‘future for our children’ to ‘civil liberties’, they crave money and power over decency and doing the right thing.

    10 minutes on kiwi blog will give you an idea of what they would do if the PM held the police to account.

  9. Tricledrown 9
    20 June 2018 at 6:42 pm

    Now we know why so many National MP’s left so quickly.
    Watergate on an industrial scale.
    Look for more quick exits.
    Imagine if National had won the election.
    This could be how Winston was undermined.
    Dirty Politics grew tentaticles.
    This would explain Nationals close ties to independent govt agencies.
    Dotcom
    Nicky Hager
    Clark Gayford
    Urerewa raids.
    Similar tactics to despot dictators use
    Expect resignations from Brownlee a Smith who we’re in charge of these govt dept’s.
    Slater’s trip to Israel mossad type tactics here.
    Keys close association to Slater this enquiry needs to be widened given the Polices carrying out Dirty Work on behalf of National

  10. Philg 10
    20 June 2018 at 9:41 pm

    Where’s Simon? Please Simon can you prosecute yourself?

  11. Tricledrown 11
    20 June 2018 at 10:22 pm

    Moss ad using fake identities in CH CH uncovered by earthquake.
    Who were they colluding with what was their objectives.

  12. OnceWasTim 12
    21 June 2018 at 3:44 am

    “I was only following orders” …………….
    http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2018/06/a-return-to-the-banality-of-evil/

  13. Eco Maori 13
    23 June 2018 at 9:37 pm

    Eco Maori has had the sandflys do all the above and the and the IPCA lied as said they interviewed me all that cop did was knock on my door sight me with the excuse that they were looking for someone else must have been a ploy to Say he could ID Me Ana to kai ECO MAORI cannot wait till the time I get to drag there ass over the hot coals of a court room Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys hacked my Gmail account and deleted my email to the Independent police conduct authority independent my – – – – –

  14. Eco Maori 14
    25 June 2018 at 7:00 pm

    Good evening Newshub I give my whano condolences to Koro Wetere whano he was a good leader for Maori.
    Some people just have brain farts as the saying goes you know whom I talking about these people are not very bright.
    The sandflys think I don’t no what they are up to I see it all even the spinning lines they use they will say anything to try and undermine ECO MAORI Mana but No.
    The ones in Tokoroa have been playing games with my whano there and don’t give a shit about the damage they do to my Mokopunas future muppets ECO MAORI is going to have the last laugh.
    I agree with Phil Geoff Auckland has a big problem with the waste entering the environment it has lots of rubbish all over the place in places that no tourists can see.
    The government needs to be subsidiseing the Plant needed to prosess the plastic recycling and rubber materials the biggest problem is grading and sorting recycling. Maybe have a competition to see who can design the best recycling plant same thing you get heaps of people minds working on the problem for the price of a few.
    I seen a story about Maori tech entrepreneurs they won a competition for best Maori computa technology.
    One made a statement that Maori see reality difference from European people and solve problems differently come up with innovative cost effective solutions to problems. Because the Aotearoa tech industry is domanated by Europeans people the industry is missing out on a lot of innovative products that’s a fact. One of the brothers teaches computers tech to tangata whenua Mokopunas.
    Ingrid it’s cold in Putaruru tonight Ka kite ano

  15. Eco Maori 15
    25 June 2018 at 7:27 pm

    The Crowd goes Wild that NZ national anthen was deliberately set up to go wrong that put the Kiwis off there hype
    I counted my chicken to fast on the Volvo yacht race Ka kite ano P.S many thanks to all the Kiwi sports stars that were competing on the weekend