Media statement from Dr Warren Tucker

The following is attributable to Dr Warren Tucker, former Director of Security

I accept the findings of the Inspector-General's thorough and careful report and take full responsibility not only for my decisions but for the systemic errors made by NZSIS at the time.

The events that have been the subject of this inquiry were, to use the Inspector-General's own words, "inherently difficult" to navigate for several reasons. As the Inspector-General has concluded, the unique consultation obligations of the Director of Security gave rise to "controversial" questions and, further, the prospect of disclosing consultation records was "unprecedented". I fully accept the finding that my ability to both navigate these issues and discharge my obligations of political neutrality – of which I was well-aware – was compromised by my view that my credibility had been placed in issue concerning events that I could well-recall.
In trying to meet both my obligations under the Official Information Act and those under the NZSIS Act, I felt caught between a rock and a hard place. As the Inspector-General has stated, meeting that challenge required more than "mechanical even-handedness" and I should have sought greater assistance. I sincerely regret the errors of judgement this failure caused. As the report notes, none of these were the result of any "political collusion" of any sort, whether on my part or on the part of NZSIS more widely.

The Inspector-General's review of these events has been thorough and exacting. Her report sheds much-needed light upon significant but previously unchartered constitutional arrangements and, I am sure, will help guide the present Director and her successors. I particularly welcome the excellent contribution that the Inspector-General’s report makes in this respect.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to my dedicated, hardworking and loyal senior staff. Through their unseen efforts in the discharge of their core roles, all of them have contributed enormously to New Zealand's security.

I do not intend to make any further comment on this matter.

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