Green Party seeks investigation over search on Nicky Hager's home

The police search was attempting to uncover the identity of the hacker who supplied Hager with information for his book. Photo / Christine Cornege

The police's unlawful search of Nicky Hager's home has prompted a complaint to the police watchdog.

The Green Party has asked the Independent Police Conduct Authority to investigate the decisions made by police which led to the search of the Dirty Politics author's Wellington home in October 2014.

The police search was attempting to uncover the identity of the hacker who supplied Hager with information for his book, but was last week ruled unlawful at the High Court.

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said: "There are many unanswered questions from the Dirty Politics scandal, and why the police made the decision to search Mr Hager's home is one of them."

She said fundamental issues of democracy were at stake, in particular the right of the media to operate free from political interference.

"Nicky Hager's home was unlawfully searched as a result of his journalism and there are now serious questions needing to be answered about the treatment of Mr Hager, and about the dirty tricks campaign run out of the Prime Minister's office."

Hager's book was released in the lead-up to the general election and alleged that the Prime Minister's office and then-Justice Minister Judith Collins used attack blogs to discredit their opponents.