Investigative journalist Nicky Hager says a decade old leaked US intelligence document points to the identity of the foreign intelligence equipment hosted by the GSCB without the knowledge of politicians.
Last week, the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security revealed a foreign agency has been running a spy operation in New Zealand for almost a decade, without ministers knowing.
Nicky Hager, who was a member of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security's reference group, has used information leaked by Edward Snowden to identify the mystery intelligence equipment.
In a commentary piece published on the RNZ website Friday morning Hagar says the papers point to the use of a system called APPARITION which was to be installed at the base in June 2012, the same date as the foreign intelligence equipment discussed in the Inspector-General's report Nicky Hager says APPARITION collects location data for capture-kill operations.
Other Snowden documents show that APPARITION was run by the United States' National Security Agency, or NSA.
