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A crucial part of a country's foreign policy and defence capability is founded on its ability to make sense of information, or intelligence, from the broadest possible range of sources.
Not all of the information will be secret. Some of it is there for all to see or hear. The media, government communiques and reports, academic research and commentary, and the internet all provide rich sources of information upon which a country can base its short, medium and long-term foreign trade and defence policies. Because reporting by diplomats provides unique national insights, it often needs to be protected. Other information, such as the intelligence provided by the SIS and the GCSB, is secret.
Since 1975, New Zealand has had a central assessment agency, now called the External Assessments Bureau (EAB), for assessing and analysing events outside New Zealand. Before 1975, assessment and analysis were undertaken by the forerunners of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The EAB is located within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, because its work is based on information drawn from many government departments and agencies. The resulting assessments touch on a wide range of government activities and policies, and so are of particular importance to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
The Director of the EAB is accountable to the Chief Executive of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for the bureau's day-to-day operations, but is accountable to the Prime Minister for the content and quality of the assessments. This arrangement makes sure that the EAB does relevant work that is clearly independent of departmental policy objectives. The Director is David Kersey, a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Job of the EAB
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| Strategic Assessment 2000 - an EAB report. |
Assessments are produced in a variety of formats. Short situational reports are issued by the EAB's director as events unfold and information becomes available. These reports may provide a foundation for the work of inter-departmental watch groups that are coordinating New Zealand's responses to external crises. Longer term and more strategic assessments are usually considered and issued by the National Assessments Committee, a subordinate committee of the Officials Committee for External and Domestic Security Coordination.
The bureau also prepares biographical reports on overseas dignitaries meeting New Zealand Ministers.
EAB assessments are made available to the Prime Minister and to other Ministers, as well as government departments and agencies, including New Zealand's diplomatic posts overseas.
The EAB maintains relationships with a number of similar organisations overseas. The capacity and effectiveness of the EAB is enhanced by the exchange of information between these organisations. The Bureau has an annual budget of around $2.3 million.
It has a staff of about 30 from a wide range of backgrounds, including economics, history, geography, politics, law, and science. EAB's offices are in Stafford House, The Terrace, Wellington.
The EAB's role and some of the material it uses are not secret. In June 2000, a declassified version of "Strategic Assessment 2000" - an EAB report designed to inform Defence policy making - was made available to the public. EAB reports, however, cannot usually be made public. This is because they typically include highly sensitive information and judgements that, if disclosed, could severely damage New Zealand's interests.