New documents released by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden suggest NZ's embassies have been involved in spying on friendly nations on behalf of the United States.

The most striking and welcome feature of the Cabinet named yesterday is the spreading of responsibility for the security intelligence agencies.

Labour leader David Cunliffe says he has sought reassurance from former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark about the party's role in recent spying revelations.

John Key has struck directly at a specific detail in the spying claims, saying new laws passed last year had nothing to do with the alleged mass surveillance project.

The head of the Southern Cross Cable Network has disputed Prime Minister John Key's claim that a cable had been tapped into as part of a proposition to collect metadata.

New Zealand has sent spies into friendly countries to electronically snoop for the United States, an award-winning journalist claims.

John Key goes into the home straight of the election campaign with his integrity publicly intact after the Kim Dotcom fiasco.

Legal experts are uncertain whether Kim Dotcom's "Moment of Truth" event should be declared by the Internet Party as an election expense.

My phone rang on Sunday night. No caller ID. But I'm curious. "Hello Mark, this is Kim Dotcom."

The PM has been accused of withholding critical information on proposed mass surveillance from the public ahead of new spying legislation going through Parliament.

John Key says he won't release documents that show that spy agencies do not conduct mass surveillance until after Glenn Greenwald tries to prove the claim.

John Key says "without a shadow of a doubt GCSB does not conduct mass surveillance on New Zealand".

John Key will declassify highly sensitive documents to prove the GCSB pulled the plug on plans to spy on New Zealanders.

Prime Minister dismisses claims GCSB was involved in mass surveillance of New Zealanders and attacks the Pulitzer-winning journalist who made them.

Donghua Liu is rapidly starting to rival Kim Dotcom in the wrecking ball stakes, so many heads are in danger from his dealings with politicians, writes Claire Trevett.

The super-secret spy agency entrusted with expansive new powers made a serious blunder, botching its count on the number of wiretaps it had.

Internet Party founder Kim Dotcom was among around 30 protesters participating in a candlelight vigil outside John Key's house in Auckland tonight.

Claims that Australian embassies are involved in intercepting calls and data across Asia will be causing "anxiety and concern" for New Zealand's GCSB and its partners in the United States-led "Five Eyes" intelligence group.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority is investigating whether police neglected their duties in their handling of a complaint against the GCSB over alleged spying on Kiwis.

Small businesses are the next big target for cybercriminals and many aren't ready to defend themselves, says Bill Farmer.

United Future leader Peter Dunne hopes a new investigation will reveal exactly who accessed his email records during the GCSB leak inquiry.

Winston Peters claims the Government co-operated with Fiji's military regime when the SIS "raided" a NZ-based member of Fiji democracy movement.

It must surely have come as a shock to his supporters that John Key seems not to understand some of the basic principles of democratic government, writes Bryan Gould.

"Was the Fonterra milk scandal caused by New Zealand being 'hostage to a blinkered devotion to laissez-faire market ideology'?" asks Bryce Edwards.

Editorial: All parties in Parliament can help ensure the needs of national security are balanced with adequate safeguards for privacy and civil rights. It is a rare opportunity to see how constructive each, including the government, can be.

Facebook has asked the Government for an exemption from a new spying law that could see its two million Kiwi users' messages subject to GCSB interception.