It's ours and it's not evil, say spy-base masters

The satellite dish at Waihopai after the protesters deflated its dome. Photo / Tim Cuff

New Zealand's secret spies emerged from the shadows yesterday to deny their Waihopai station is an American spy base contributing to torture and war.

Present and past directors of the Government Communications Security Bureau took the unusual step of commenting publicly on allegations made during and after last month's trial in which a jury acquitted teacher Adrian Leason, 45, Dominican friar Peter Murnane, 69, and farmer Sam Land, 26, of charges of burglary and wilful damage after they broke into the base in Marlborough.

Father Murnane said after the verdict: "We have shown New Zealanders there is a US spy base in our midst."

In court, he said the trio felt strongly about the evil caused by activities of spy bases, such as torture, war and use of weapons of mass destruction such as depleted uranium.

Air Marshal Sir Bruce Ferguson, the bureau's director, and his predecessor, Dr Warren Tucker, said the allegations demanded a response because they brought into question the integrity of New Zealand's security and intelligence apparatus.

"The Waihopai station is not a US-run spy base," they said.

"It is totally operated and controlled by New Zealand, through the GCSB as an arm of the New Zealand Government.

"This has been formally investigated and reported upon by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, for example, at the request of then Prime Minister [Jim] Bolger, in response to claims made by peace movement activists at the time.

"The Waihopai Station was not - and is not - being used to contribute to 'torture, war, and the use of weapons of mass destruction such as depleted uranium' as claimed.

"It was not - and is not - contributing to 'unspeakable evil.' Quite the reverse."

On Wednesday, Solicitor-General David Collins, QC, said the Crown had no grounds to appeal against the verdicts, but would consider a civil lawsuit to seek judgment for the $1.1 million damage done during the attack.

Yesterday, Murray Horton, of the Anti-Bases Campaign, said the Government was trying to save face by threatening legal action against the protesters, "not only with those in New Zealand baying for the Domebusters' blood, but also with the shadowy big brothers of the American-led spy-base network who will be both angry and humiliated by the hilarious dome deflation at the 'high security' base".

He said the Government was digging itself a bigger hole by its vindictive and desperate action and should instead cut its losses and walk away.