[wepple]

From my opinion, the most concerning thing about this is that NZ has typically distanced itself from the US, and that appears to be changing.

Sure, we were always part of the five-eyes, but only within the last couple of years has NZ been so warmly welcomed into the whitehouse, and the co-operation with the Dotcom fiasco scared a lot of people as well.

The passing of this law is largely a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that the GCSB have been doing this all along but got caught out, so rushed it through parliament.

These changes align far too much with US agenda's, the revelation of prism, etc.

I take your point that at least they're acknowledging that they're going to be doing it, but it's just a horrible gut feeling about the future.

[vickytnz]

To be honest, the distancing was only because of nuclear powered ships (NZ being proudly nuclear free and refusing US ships right to take harbour in the country cost us the ANZUS alliance). Unfortunately it only took a new threat (cyberterrorism) to get us back in again. restrains self from saying something about John Key

[wepple]

yeah for sure - and the nuclear ships situation was something that, in my opinion, gave many kiwis a tiny sense of identity and freedom; politely declining a Friend Request from the biggest superpower in the world because we're not prepared to compromise on what we believe in.

Is that changing?