NZ spy agency review suggests audit of any foreign partner capabilities it hosts

A review of a New Zealand spy agency has suggested it needs to audit any capabilities it may be operating for other countries, after an inquiry into its hosting of a foreign signals intelligence system.
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), which oversees the country’s spy agencies, reported Thursday that the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) hosted a signals intelligence system deployed by a foreign agency and its taking part in a wider intelligence programme related to that system.
Details of the country and the capability are secret, although the report says the “capability” produced intelligence that could find remote targets. New Zealand is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence grouping, which includes Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The report notes that the system ran from 2013 until 2020 and that after it was installed, “GCSB staff and the Bureau’s legal team lost sight of the capability and its operation.”