Nicky Hager

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Nicky Hager bigraphy, stories - Journalists

Nicky Hager : biography

1958 –

Nicky Hager (born 1958) is an author and investigative journalist who was born in Levin, New Zealand and now resides in Wellington. His books, which cover topics such as intelligence networks, environmental issues and politics, are both controversial and influential. Hager has been described as "New Zealand’s leading investigative journalist".Martin Hirst, "Exposing New Zealand’s Hollow Men", The Walkley Magazine, Issue 44, April/May 2007, p.40. (Martin Hirst is Associate Professor of Journalism at AUT Auckland University, New Zealand. The Walkley Magazine is published by the union for Australian journalists, the Media, Entertainment, Arts Alliance.) He stood as a Values Party candidate for Pahiatua in the 1978 general election but has since remained apolitical. He has degrees in physics and philosophy.

Print media articles

  • In February 2003, Hager published the first detailed description of New Zealand military contributions to the US-led military operations in Afghanistan, in a feature called "Our secret war" in the Sunday Star-Times. This included Special Air Service (SAS) forces, operation name Concord, and their part in the major February 2002 battle called Operation Anaconda); military intelligence staff based in the US headquarters at Bagram airbase (operation name Kiwi Cracker), intelligence and planning staff in the US Army Central Command in Florida (operation name Kiwi Speak), and naval and air transport deployments.
  • In 2004, Hager was caught up in a hoax devised by some New Zealanders living in China. He was hired by the Sunday Star-Times (SST) to help research their claims alleging that the SIS was spying on Māori individuals and organisations, including those associated with the new Māori Party, for political purposes under the codename "Operation Leaf." A government inquiry led by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security rejected these claims in April 2005. As a result, the Prime Minister, Helen Clark said the allegations were a hoax and asked the SST to apologise to its readers. However, the SST’s editor noted, as doubts grew around the story, that "Hager’s involvement in the investigation was entirely at the paper’s behest and has been completely vindicated by his cool-headed approach to the enquiry. He has been the voice of caution and sound advice."Cate Brett, "Fog and fen", Sunday Star-Times, 5 December 2004.
  • In March 2005, The Sunday Star-Times published an articleHager, Nicky. , The Sunday Star Times, 9 March 2005. Archived 11 July 2008 at WebCite from the . by Hager about the vulnerabilities of New Zealand’s internet banking services. The article resulted in interest and investigation by both consumer groups and regulators, and since that time most major New Zealand banks have adopted the recommended two-factor authentication.
  • In May 2007, Hager revealed in the Sunday Star Times that a private investigation company, Thompson & Clark Investigations, had employed agents to infiltrate environmental, peace and animal rights groups in New Zealand.Nicky Hager, "Finding the enemy within", Sunday Star Times, 27 May 2007. One of the company’s clients was the government-owned coal company Solid Energy. Hager and Deidre Mussen revealed that a student was paid NZ$400 a month to infiltrate and report on the activities of the Save Happy Valley Campaign, a group opposing a new coal mine.Nicky Hager and Deidre Mussen, "", Sunday Star Times, 27 May 2007. The State-Owned Enterprises minister, Trevor Mallard, told Solid Energy that the spying operation is "unacceptable.""", Newswire.co.nz, 28 May 2007.
  • June 2008: In the Sunday Star Times, Hager alleged that Don Brash, and later Opposition Leader John Key, had secretly hired controversial Australian PR firm Crosby/Textor. To date Key and Brash have refused to confirm or deny their involvement with the firm.