GCSB Satellite Dishes at Waihopai: November 11, 2021

The GCSB has said it will retire and remove the domes and satellite dishes at its Waihopai station after thirty years of service.

The GCSB’s Director-General Andrew Hampton said the dishes have reached the end of their service life and become obsolete under changes of global telecommunication and information technology.

Mr Hampton also said information obtained by the dishes at Waihopai only accounts for half a percent of all intelligence produced by the bureau last year.

The Minister responsible for the GCSB Andrew Little said in a statement that retiring the Waihopai satellite dishes does not diminish New Zealand’s contributions to the Five Eyes partnership.

The first of the two dishes and radomes are expected to be removed next year but the GCSB will continue to operate out of Waihopai Station.

Murray Horton is a campaigner with the Anti-Bases Campaign that called for the closing of the GCSB stations at Waihopai and Tangimoana and he has been attending annual protests outside Waihopai since the station became operational in 1988.  He spoke to Justin Wong.