The Prime Minister has reiterated he is confident the Government's electronic spy agency's activities comply with New Zealand law, Radio New Zealand reports.
Last week journalist Nicky Hager, citing information from US whistleblower Edward Snowden, claimed the GCSB was collecting mass amounts of data on Pacific countries and passing it to the NSA in the United States.
The former head of the GCSB Sir Bruce Ferguson confirmed the mass collection of communications, but told Radio New Zealand items relating to New Zealanders are discarded.
The Green Party has laid a complaint with the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security saying the bureau may have broken the law by spying on New Zealanders.
Key told Morning Report he was not prepared to confirm or deny Sir Bruce Ferguson's claims, but he said the law was very clear on the GCSB.
“They have the capacity to collection information against the New Zealander but only under very, very limited conditions, and the question is are those conditions met.
“The legal advice I've had from the GCSB and the assurances I've had is those conditions are met.”
Kim Dotcom said the Government should be serving the people not spying on them and Key should make good his previous promise to resign if mass surveillance was shown to be taking place.
New Zealanders had the right to know if their communications were being collected en masse, he said. “The government is serving for the people, the public votes them into government, of course we have a right to know.”
