3 December 2012

New envoys to present their credentials

Envoys for Russia, Japan, Zambia and Ecuador will present their credentials to the Governor-General, Lt Gen Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, at Government House in Wellington tomorrow (Tuesday 4 December).

The ceremony, which will include a Māori ceremonial challenge, and a military guard of honour provided by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, begins at 11am.

The Ambassador for Russia, HE Mr Valery Tereshchenko, is a graduate of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at the Moscow State University. He joined the diplomatic service in 1980 and served in the Russian Embassy in Indonesia for many years. A former Russian Ambassador to Cambodia, Mr Tereshchenko is based in Wellington.

The Ambassador for Japan, HE Mr Yasuaki Nogawa, is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Hitotsubashi University and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973. He has served in Japanese missions in Britain, France, India and Australia and is formerly Ambassador to Myanmar. Mr Nogawa is based in Wellington.

The High Commissioner for Zambia, HE Mr Ng’ona Mwelwa Chibesakunda, is a lawyer and civil servant. He has previously served as Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia and as Managing Director of the Zambia Housing and Property Corporation. Mr Chibesakunda is based in Tokyo.

The Ambassador for Ecuador, HE Mr Raúl Gangotena, has had a varied career in academia and the private and public sector. He is a former Rector of Universidad de Las Américas and a former Executive Director of the Quito Chamber of Commerce and was Ecuador’s Ambassador to the United States (2003-5). Mr Gangotena is based in Canberra and has been Ambassador to Australia since 2009.

ENDS

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Arguably Reassuring: Inspector-General Finds GCSB "Arguably" Legal

Of the 88 individuals:

• 15 cases involving 22 individuals did not have any information intercepted by GCSB.

• another four cases involving five individuals were the subjects of a New Zealand Security Intelligence Service warrant and the GCSB assisted in the execution of the warrants. The Inspector-General is of the view that there were arguably no breaches and the law is unclear.

• the Bureau only provided technical assistance which did not involve interception of communications, involving three of the individuals, so no breach occurred.

• the remaining cases involved the collection of metadata, and the Inspector-General formed the view that there had arguably been no breach, noting once again that the law is unclear.
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