Government pushed to explain New Zealand "spying" during WTO race

The New Zealand government was under fire again Monday for abusing its authority over the country 's intelligence services after one agency was alleged to have spied on foreign rivals during Trade Minister Tim Groser's failed bid to head the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The claim published by the New Zealand Herald newspaper was based on material from U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden.

It followed recent claims that agencies of New Zealand -- as a member of the "Five Eyes" intelligence network that also includes the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia -- spied on friendly countries in the Pacific and Asia.

The latest story claimed that the spying operation was active in 2013 -- when Prime Minister John Key was directly in charge of the security services.

It said the "WTO Project" by New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) involved covert surveillance of candidates from Brazil, Costa Rica, Ghana, Jordan, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and South Korea.

The main opposition Labour Party said Groser's "personal use of the GCSB to try and get himself a job at the WTO" was a highly dubious use of an agency that was meant to combat security threats.

"This is outrageous. The GCSB is a foreign intelligence agency, not a recruitment agency. For all we know they also wrote his CV," Labour leader Andrew Little said in a statement.

"These actions are a massive misuse of an agency which should be focused on our security threats, not the future employment prospects of a minister," he said.

"As the minister in charge at the time, John Key must explain how he or anyone at the GCSB thought this was an appropriate use of the agency's resources."

The opposition Green Party demanded to know the legal justification for "ministers using spy agencies as their private recruitment manager."

"The personal use of the GCSB is total political abuse of an agency that is meant to be working in New Zealand's national interest," Green Party security and intelligence spokesperson Kennedy Graham said in a statement.

"It is hard to argue that Tim Grosser being the head of the WTO would gain any advantage for New Zealand, as the position demands neutrality as a fundamental requirement of the role."

Radio New Zealand reported that Key and Groser, who were both visiting South Korea Monday, declined to answer questions on the allegations.

Key has previously insisted that New Zealand's spy agencies act within the law.

Last year, the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security investigated and upheld allegations that Key's office had used information from the Security Intelligence Service to gain a political advantage in the 2011 general election. Endi