It was not intended that the New Zealand public should be privy to the opening of the FBI office in Wellington. When the presence of Patel was sprung by an RNZ reporter a press conference was so hastily convened that Patel, Peters and Collins had no time to agree on what they were to say publicly, which quite clearly could not be the same as what they were saying between themselves. Thus Patel let the cat out of the bag with his comments on the CPC, leaving Collins and Peters scrambling to jam it back in.
The initial secrecy, and subsequent dissimulation, surrounding the office exposes the hypocrisy of New Zealand's condemnation of the Cook Islands government for negotiating an agreement with China without providing a blow-by-blow account of negotiations to New Zealand and the Cook Islands public.
Does the presence of the FBI change much in Wellington? Not really. The United States already has its people ensconced in the senior ranks of the SIS, GCSB and NZDF, and those who are not formally in the service of the US are for the most part willing agents.
It rather serves to confirm New Zealand's colonial status as a vassal state of the US. This is a situation that will not change until rangatiratanga is fully restored throughout the motu.
It'd be good if someone identified just how many US "agents" are operating in NZ government agencies and which ones. We need to shine as much light on this as possible IMO. Perhaps Bryce Edwards's foreign affairs offsider, Geoffrey Miller should revisit this question (if not Mick Hall, hint hint)...
Wasn't that what got Whitlam couped back in '75? The US considered that getting off easy as they straight up poisoned his Kiwi counterpart the year before.
Thank you Mick for reporting on all of this. It’s vital we have this information and you are one of the very few providing us with it clearly and comprehensively.
Thank god for your reporting, thanks Mick. I've been totally ignorant of the opposition to the FBI setting up shop here and glad to know there is some - not much thanks to MSM except perhaps the new ZB kid on the block - he'll have his wings clipped no doubt...
This vassal state status to the US has to end. The US's enemies aren't ours, so why is a US domestic investigation bureau, establishing a permanent base here? If it was the CIA, would we allow that, or are they already ensconced in the US embassy? We have a history of defeats when supporting the US in its wars of aggression. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, avoided the Iraqi genocide, lost to Yemen when supporting the US navy in the Red Sea and now we want to side with the US in "its war," against "its enemy," China. Our politicians are clowns, who know very little, or choose to ignore our past history of US collaboration and the negative results. China has 1.4 billion people, with a nuclear aresenal. It's not some dying imperialist hegemon, trying to desperately retain its status, as the world's superpower and a population of just 340 million people. You would think that our leaders could see, where the future lies and its not with the neoliberals and neocons in Washington, but with the multipolar world of BRICS. Militarism is history! Free free Palestine 🇯🇴🇯🇴🇯🇴
The point of the FBI office in Wellington is that it will be able to do stuff that cannot be legally done by the NZ SIS and GCSB, and stuff that could not legally be done by the FBI in the United States itself. So the main purpose is not to combat drug traffickers, nor to confront China, as Patel claimed, but to undermine the rule of law within New Zealand, with the tacit consent of the New Zealand government.
We now learn that even before its official opening the FBI office in Wellington was being used to engage in criminal activities, specifically the illegal importation of firearms. FBI Director Kash Patel, who was personally involved in the importation, obviously has not the slightest interest in or respect for New Zealand law, and sees no need to take it into consideration. The New Zealand government, for its part, sees no need to call Patel to account. Will he face prosecution in a New Zealand court? Only when hell freezes over.
Finally, the regime admits that FBI Director Kash Patel's visit to Wellington was intended to be a state secret. It has now been revealed that a SIS document from the time stated "The visit will not be publicly avowed, for security reasons, until after the Director has left New Zealand".
These people have not only betrayed our country, made a shambles of the economy, and given Donald Trump everything that he has demanded of them - including New Zealand's assent to and participation in the Gaza genocide - but they are not even good liars!
Their frantic and silly attempts to make it appear that the Patel's secret visit was actually intended to be "publicly avowed" are now fully exposed.
They lie to us remorselessly. They are so deep in their lies and their wickedness that they no longer have any conception of what the truth is, or what decency might look like.
Colonialism must go, and it must go soon, or we will all pay a bitter price.
We now learn that Defence Minister Judith Collins was "informed" of the plan to establish the FBI office in Wellington on May 7 and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was "informed" only on July 8, but no one is saying who "informed" them. As far as we can determine, the New Zealand government ministers were "informed" by the US side. No consultation, no discussion, no decision by the New Zealand government. The government was just told that the US was moving in. In the case of the Prime Minister, at the eleventh hour. Then, horrors, the news leaked out to the New Zealand public. Poor old Kash Patel then had to go through a farcical "opening ceremony" with hastily assembled props, to make everything seem kosher. Running a vassal state has complications not often encountered when running an airline company.
It was not intended that the New Zealand public should be privy to the opening of the FBI office in Wellington. When the presence of Patel was sprung by an RNZ reporter a press conference was so hastily convened that Patel, Peters and Collins had no time to agree on what they were to say publicly, which quite clearly could not be the same as what they were saying between themselves. Thus Patel let the cat out of the bag with his comments on the CPC, leaving Collins and Peters scrambling to jam it back in.
The initial secrecy, and subsequent dissimulation, surrounding the office exposes the hypocrisy of New Zealand's condemnation of the Cook Islands government for negotiating an agreement with China without providing a blow-by-blow account of negotiations to New Zealand and the Cook Islands public.
Does the presence of the FBI change much in Wellington? Not really. The United States already has its people ensconced in the senior ranks of the SIS, GCSB and NZDF, and those who are not formally in the service of the US are for the most part willing agents.
It rather serves to confirm New Zealand's colonial status as a vassal state of the US. This is a situation that will not change until rangatiratanga is fully restored throughout the motu.
Great point Geoff.
It'd be good if someone identified just how many US "agents" are operating in NZ government agencies and which ones. We need to shine as much light on this as possible IMO. Perhaps Bryce Edwards's foreign affairs offsider, Geoffrey Miller should revisit this question (if not Mick Hall, hint hint)...
Wasn't that what got Whitlam couped back in '75? The US considered that getting off easy as they straight up poisoned his Kiwi counterpart the year before.
Thank you Mick for reporting on all of this. It’s vital we have this information and you are one of the very few providing us with it clearly and comprehensively.
Thank god for your reporting, thanks Mick. I've been totally ignorant of the opposition to the FBI setting up shop here and glad to know there is some - not much thanks to MSM except perhaps the new ZB kid on the block - he'll have his wings clipped no doubt...
The Kim Dotcom case was an eye-opener for many Kiwis. Here's a blast from the distant past of 2014, check out Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke conducting:
"Five Eyes, Looking Down..."
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5vH64GFs_0g
This vassal state status to the US has to end. The US's enemies aren't ours, so why is a US domestic investigation bureau, establishing a permanent base here? If it was the CIA, would we allow that, or are they already ensconced in the US embassy? We have a history of defeats when supporting the US in its wars of aggression. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, avoided the Iraqi genocide, lost to Yemen when supporting the US navy in the Red Sea and now we want to side with the US in "its war," against "its enemy," China. Our politicians are clowns, who know very little, or choose to ignore our past history of US collaboration and the negative results. China has 1.4 billion people, with a nuclear aresenal. It's not some dying imperialist hegemon, trying to desperately retain its status, as the world's superpower and a population of just 340 million people. You would think that our leaders could see, where the future lies and its not with the neoliberals and neocons in Washington, but with the multipolar world of BRICS. Militarism is history! Free free Palestine 🇯🇴🇯🇴🇯🇴
The point of the FBI office in Wellington is that it will be able to do stuff that cannot be legally done by the NZ SIS and GCSB, and stuff that could not legally be done by the FBI in the United States itself. So the main purpose is not to combat drug traffickers, nor to confront China, as Patel claimed, but to undermine the rule of law within New Zealand, with the tacit consent of the New Zealand government.
We now learn that even before its official opening the FBI office in Wellington was being used to engage in criminal activities, specifically the illegal importation of firearms. FBI Director Kash Patel, who was personally involved in the importation, obviously has not the slightest interest in or respect for New Zealand law, and sees no need to take it into consideration. The New Zealand government, for its part, sees no need to call Patel to account. Will he face prosecution in a New Zealand court? Only when hell freezes over.
NZ should be building a relationship with the Chinese instead of
the imperialist war mongers in Washington. The sun is now rising
in the East!
Finally, the regime admits that FBI Director Kash Patel's visit to Wellington was intended to be a state secret. It has now been revealed that a SIS document from the time stated "The visit will not be publicly avowed, for security reasons, until after the Director has left New Zealand".
These people have not only betrayed our country, made a shambles of the economy, and given Donald Trump everything that he has demanded of them - including New Zealand's assent to and participation in the Gaza genocide - but they are not even good liars!
Their frantic and silly attempts to make it appear that the Patel's secret visit was actually intended to be "publicly avowed" are now fully exposed.
They lie to us remorselessly. They are so deep in their lies and their wickedness that they no longer have any conception of what the truth is, or what decency might look like.
Colonialism must go, and it must go soon, or we will all pay a bitter price.
We now learn that Defence Minister Judith Collins was "informed" of the plan to establish the FBI office in Wellington on May 7 and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was "informed" only on July 8, but no one is saying who "informed" them. As far as we can determine, the New Zealand government ministers were "informed" by the US side. No consultation, no discussion, no decision by the New Zealand government. The government was just told that the US was moving in. In the case of the Prime Minister, at the eleventh hour. Then, horrors, the news leaked out to the New Zealand public. Poor old Kash Patel then had to go through a farcical "opening ceremony" with hastily assembled props, to make everything seem kosher. Running a vassal state has complications not often encountered when running an airline company.
So we're costing up to the worst warmongers on the planet - nice 🤬🤬🤬