Author of seven books Nicky is NZ's foremost investigative journalist - covering - intelligence networks, environmental matters, politics and other issues. Whose books have both illuminated and shocked readers across the country as well as globally - as we as a nation find out to our consternation - that behind the news, the bureaucratic systems and the political world - truth is hidden from the masses on a grand and vast scale.
He is the only New Zealand member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Their website https://www.icij.org/
A World First?
To people reading this from overseas it was Nicky who in 1996, essentially 'revealed to the world community' that there was a huge secretive global listening system in place that was ‘hoovering’ up all global electronic communications. Be it telephone calls, emails, faxes, web pages, Google searches, etc and now including texts, Facebook, postings, Twitter feeds etc, etc - all are being recorded to gigantic overseas data bases. This includes this posting you are reading - at this moment - (hi guys!)
Echelon = Five Eyes.
This system was called 'Echelon’ now dubbed 'Five Eyes' and these ‘bases’ were and still are in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Anglo American speaking world.
Though he was basically ignored in NZ, when the European Parliament heard about this they were initially very upset, especially the French and the Germans. So Nicky was invited to come to the European Parliament to report on his findings. However, to this day, this listening system remains in place as an integral part of the 'deep state’, to the degree that Angela Merkel the German leader, to her consternation, up until relatively recently, had her mobile phone tapped and all her private information recorded.
The interview:
The Police Raid
I asked Nicky if he feels safe in his home after the police raid in 2014 and the confiscation of his computers and files. His answer was that it was emotional disturbing - (listen).
Yet, as a result, he received an 'extraordinary apology' from the NZ police afterwards - stating they should not have done it and that they won't do it again.
Then in mid-June 2018, he accepted the apology and compensation for "substantial damages" from the New Zealand Police for the raid as part of their investigation into the hacking that led to the Dirty Politics book. The Police also acknowledged accessing his financial records as part of the apology settlement.
I asked, when the police have to pay up in instances like this, where does the money come from, us the NZ public? Which he agreed that basically it is us, the police are part of the Government that taxpayers finance.
Fortunately, Nicky had three top quality lawyers - who gave of their time to have the police, (who after 4 years) finally give an apology to him as well as make 'a declaration that they had acted unlawfully.'
He said he was very fortunate in getting the police to apologise. Because this might now stop them doing it to others who are far less resourced than him and his three lawyer friends.
In asking about society in general, Nicky states:
Most people believe in social services, pay their taxes and want to work for a better world for other people - and that it is only a relatively small number of people that muck it up on massive scale - by doing things secretly, unaccountably that no one knows what they are doing.
If journalists let the world know that they can do good quality journalism - this helps curtail people in strong financial and powerful situations from doing corrupt business and banking deals etc.
Investigative journalistic ideals work always towards a better world and how things can be right for a better future for children of today and tomorrow and he says there are more of us than them - and by persistence and focus we can definitely change things for the better. Because there illegal practices are essentially ‘mucking' it up for all of us.
When asked the question, about the lack of top quality journalists across NZ - and did he want to comment on this?
He said that there are a good number of very good journalists in NZ, however how the system is run, that it is very difficult to be published. (Listen)
To the question about the lack of quality news media - MSM? He states that when scrutinised MSN are not fulfilling its function in a democratic society.
When asked about Wikipedia - do you find that everything on it is factual and true? Especially about you, Nicky Hager, on your Wiki entry?
Nicky says he will never use Wiki, because if the topic is disputed - this is hugely problematic - especially if there are different sides and interests based around money etc - then Wiki becomes less and less reliable.
Some Wiki pages have people with glowing information - they may be important in someone’s estimate - because so much attention has been given to them. But we need to be very wary.
Do you get any feedback that certain entities go on to Wiki and change and edit the narrative? Yes, this too is problematic.
Is there a secretive war going on Wiki?
(Listen)
You have written 7 books of these:
1 Secret Power (See above)
This also covered the GCSB the NZ Government Communications Security Bureau that can and does listen to all NZ communications within NZ.
2 Secrets and Lies
Is about Timberlands West Coast Limited an exposé - in order to cunningly win public support for logging of native forests (old growth) on the West Coast of New Zealand. (Not mentioned)
3 Seeds of Distrust
In this interview Tim mentions that contaminated seeds are still coming into the country especially over 168,000 tons of GE Soybeans, fed to pigs and chickens. Whilst the NZ Government / biosecurity are looking the other way. There is a lot more in the interview about other GE contaminants entering the Port Of Tauranga, having been rejected by China.
Nicky understandably (due to all his other many commitments) was not aware of this.
Tim asked Nicky about whole paddocks in NZ being sprayed with Monsanto’s glyphosate - causing untold hidden affects to the soil microflora and that when this information becomes known overseas - that NZ’s clean green image has been sabotaged by their own farmers - what are the consequences for NZ exports? Nicky was not aware of this as this is only just now becoming known.
4 The Hollow Men
5 Other People's Wars
The war on terror in Afghanistan and beyond has been the longest foreign war in New Zealand history, yet most New Zealanders know almost nothing about their country's part in it. For ten years, nearly everything controversial or potentially unpopular was kept secret, and obscured by a steady flow of military public relations stories.
6 Dirty Politics
In August 2014, Hager published Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand's political environment, featuring leaked emails between National Party figures and right-wing bloggers. According to Hager the book aims to tell the story of "how attack politics is poisoning NZ's political environment".
Hit & Run - with Jon Stephenson
Tim says that as NZ is now in the US Alliance once again, playing with the most expensive and lethal of weapons, it was a different story when the NZ Government democratically announced its Nuclear Free policy, back in 1987. Once this happened NZ Army service men - on bases in the US were shunned through no fault of their own. Many cases of being ignored by US service people made life very difficult for the NZers as they disengaged under NZ Government orders. Example cited: whilst walking along corridors bases in the US as soon as any US servicemen saw the NZ counterpart walking towards them, they immediately opened up any door to their left or right and went inside closing the door waiting for the NZer to pass and then coming out ‘after the kiwi had moved on.’ This was very un ‘warrior like.’ A true warrior respects another warrior from the other side and vice versa. “ True warriors do have codes of ethics, which they follow.”
The NZ Frigate Te Kaha being birthed in Honolulu July 08 2012
The frigate HMNZS Te Kaha and tanker HMNZS Endeavour were taking part in Rimpac, the world's biggest military operation, but while old enemies Japan and even a Russian ship were are allowed into Pearl Harbour, the New Zealand ships were sent to Aloha Tower - deep in the commercial heart of Honolulu. This was seen as being unfriendly, possibly spiteful, all as a result of NZ’s 1987, democratic process of not allowing nuclear armed or powered naval ships into NZ ports or waters.
Tim asked Nicky about the John Campbell Live - James Clapper episode - here in NZ. Where in March 15th 2011 – Top NSA Spy chief, James Clapper, flies to NZ to meet with John Key and this was so secret it was not mentioned at all by the NZ Government -...
This country owes John Campbell and the Campbell Live team for explaining how this was exposed - that an aviation photographer at Wellington airport saw a US Airforce Transport plane on the tarmac and photographed it and then enlarged the photo to be able to actually see who was getting back on board - that it was James Clapper on his way back home. he had been quietly here in relation to security and Five Eyes and NZers knew zero about it. Note the Campbell live show critique went along political lines. The left said something is fishy and the right blew it off as a conspiracy.
https://www.ourplanet.org/.../sprung-sneaking-into-nz-james-clapper-head-of-the-nsa
Note as Clapper is 'deep state’ he has been accused of perjury back in the US .
March 12, 2013, during a United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing, Senator Ron Wyden quoted NSA director Keith B. Alexander's keynote speech at the 2012 DEF CON. Alexander had stated that "Our job is foreign intelligence" and that "those who would want to weave the story that we have millions or hundreds of millions of dossiers on people, is absolutely false…. from my perspective, this is absolute nonsense.” Senator Wyden of the Select intelligence Committee asked Clapper, "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?" He responded, "No, sir." Wyden asked "It does not?" and Clapper said, "Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly."
This opens the question, does the spying facility in NZ spy on Australia and the Australians spy on the Canadians and the Canadians spy on the Americans - The US on the UK etc etc and on it goes, every country vacuuming up the other countries communications so that under oath, the intelligence officials can say they are not spying on ‘their own’ country?
So this was more than a very engaging interview.
What one comes away is that Nicky is straight down the line, my questioning could not sway him in any direction other than he told the truth from what he knew.
Though this was a serious interview there were a few little parts that made one laugh, mainly at the ludicrousness of it all.