World Cup, Rena on PM's expanded security briefing

Name: John Key makes Dotcom correction after uproar
Uploaded: 2012-10-16T15:29:02+13:00
Duration: 248 s
Description: Prime Minister John Key has corrected statements he made in Parliament two weeks ago about when he was first told about the Dotcom case by the Government Communications Security Bureau. Mr Key said he had no intention to mislead the house.

NZ Herald

24 Oct, 2012 04:30 PM2 mins to read

Prime Minister John Key has corrected statements he made in Parliament two weeks ago about when he was first told about the Dotcom case by the Government Communications Security Bureau. Mr Key said he had no intention to mislead the house.

While they didn't tell him about Kim Dotcom, security advisers briefed Prime Minister John Key on a wider range of issues in the last year including the Rugby World Cup, the Rena grounding and the Maui gas pipeline failure.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's recent annual report notes the Security and Risk Group's progress in co-ordinating the application of a broader concept of national security approved last year by the Cabinet.

The group co-ordinates and leads strategies, policies and operations for strengthening national security and stability.

Over the last year it provided advice to Mr Key "and co-ordinated responses across government on most situations that were of a scale or nature that presented risks for the security of New Zealanders or the country".

The report says Mr Key was satisfied with the advice he received from the group on events including the Rugby World Cup, the grounding of the Rena, "various situations involving New Zealand troops deployed overseas", a range of civil contingencies and natural hazards and the failure of the Maui gas pipeline.

The group was also involved in co-ordinating work by various other agencies on people smuggling, illegal migrants, counter-terrorism preparations, and security for major sporting events.