Photo: Amnesty International
Amnesty International's annual Human Rights report has highlighted New Zealand's breach of the right to privacy through the mass collection of data in the Pacific.
Documents leaked last year by the whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that New Zealand's surveillance of its Pacific neighbours has expanded in recent years.
Amnesty International's executive director, Grant Bayldon, says not only could New Zealand be spying on the governments of its Pacific neighbours, but also on NGOs working in the region.
"The UK government has admitted that it's been spying on Amnesty International. We deal with a lot of very sensitive information that people entrust us with. We work for prisoners of conscience around the world who are locked up by their own governments. Information that is collected and shared between governments may not always be used for the right purposes."
Grant Bayldon says general information about the extent of New Zealand's surveillance should be made public.
