Dear Government Communications Security Bureau,

Are GCSB employees provided with accommodation or accommodation supplements during their employment with the agency?

Yours faithfully,

Bill

Government Communications Security Bureau,

The response to this request has been delayed. By law, you should normally have responded promptly and by November 14, 2016. No extension was requested and the request was overdue some days before your building was damaged by an earthquake and evacuated.

Please respond outlining the reason or reasons why the deadline was not met.

faithfully,

Bill

Dear GCSB,

I find your response that "Unfortunately the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has no record of receiving your request" highly curious if not deeply suspect. Is is and has been available for all interested parties to view on fyi.org.nz for months.

But, again, for the record, my original response dated 16 October, 2016, stated:

"Are GCSB employees provided with accommodation or accommodation supplements during their employment with the agency?"

Clearly some context is in order.

In 2013, a very senior member of the GCSB, who was on paid leave during an employment dispute with your agency, invited a Muslim family - for upwards of a month - to take over an apartment that contained much sensitive information, including evidence that your agency continued to monitor New Zealand residents (people other than those befriended and invited into that apartment), and using tools available to your agencies that are now well know. This happened at a time when assurances by the Government that spying on residents and New Zealand citizens had ceased following the Dotcom fiasco. I.e., it was an admission of illegality. And a casual one, at that - suggesting that your continued intrusions were quite routine.

The apartment in question, above the "So You" hair salon on Tinakori Road, just happened to be directly across the road from the workplace of the (Muslim) New Zealand citizens invited to take the apartment over. The documents contained definite statements that directly contradicted said public assurances by your agencies, and by former Prime Minister John Key, that such illegal surveillance was not taking place.

That the GCSB were paying directly or indirectly playing for that employees accommodation is significant in this context, and needs to be addressed by you - honestly, and in good faith.

It is a shame that you were not able to address these matters in a smart and professional manner over the past few years - it was not for a lack of trying; you certainly had amble opportunity to do so.

The documents and other information in that apartment - freely scattered around - also contained information of great public interest. Allowing that material to be so available in one of your agency safehouses put a number of New Zealand citizens of the Muslim faith in considerable danger, and potentially, given the aggressive rhetoric being promoted by your agencies and certain players in the mainstream and alternative media, in a highly compromising position.

You and your employees in their actions and in their failure to address what they did caused a great deal of stress and worry to a great number of people.

I trust that you will address my question in good faith - a phrase you are quite happy to bander around in my experience - and to move to make the appropriate moves towards apologies and making recompense for what you have done.

With all due respect,

Bill