Who the police were spying on

Photo has been pixellated by Sunday Star-Times.

A covert police photo taken outside a Christchurch flat. Gilchrist was asked to identify the man.

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ANTI-BASES CAMPAIGN. Christchurch-based group "opposed to foreign military intelligence installations", including the Deep Freeze base at Christchurch airport and intelligence stations at Tangimoana and Waihopai.

AUCKLAND ANIMAL ACTION. Small Auckland group that protests against battery-hen farming and other cruelty to animals.

BENEFICIARIES ACTION COLLECTIVE. 1990s' group opposed to the then National government's work-for-the-dole and other welfare policies.

GE-FREE NEW ZEALAND. Nationwide network of groups opposed to GE food and the release of GE plants and animals into the environment.

PEACE ACTION WELLINGTON. Wellington-based peace group which spearheaded Iraq War protests and opposes the arms industry.

GREENPEACE. The international environment and peace organisation.

PEOPLE'S MORATORIUM ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (GE FREE). A GE protest group opposed to release of GE crops.

SAVE ANIMALS FROM EXPLOITATION (SAFE). Animal welfare group that campaigns to prevent abuse of animals, including in circuses, battery-hen farming and factory farming of pigs.

SAVE HAPPY VALLEY. A climate change group campaigning to stop a new open-cast coal mine in the Happy Valley area of the West Coast.

WELLINGTON ANIMAL RIGHTS NETWORK. A small animal rights group campaigning against battery-hen farming and the use of animals in laboratory experiments.

What is the Special Investigation Group?

The police Special Investigation Group, which Rob Gilchrist worked for, was set up in 2005 after officials said it was needed as part of New Zealand's response to the September 11 attacks. However, today's informer revelations show SIG officers have been targeting protest and community groups.

Announcing funding for the SIG teams in the 2004 budget, Phil Goff said they were to boost New Zealand's counter-terrorism capacity and would be "deployed for specific national security duties" by the Strategic Intelligence Unit at police national headquarters.

Cabinet had approved formation of the central Strategic Intelligence Unit in January 2002, shortly after the September 11 attacks, after officials advised it was needed to "focus on terrorism and transnational activity such as people smuggling, identity fraud and money laundering".

There are now SIG teams in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. In Christchurch two SIG officers directed and paid Gilchrist to infiltrate the groups. They are his main handler, Detective Peter Gilroy, and the officer in charge of SIG in Christchurch, Detective Sergeant John Sjoberg.

Goff said at the time 29 new police staff would go to units conducting investigative and intelligence-related work. Most or all of these are likely to be SIG staff.

The police 2006 Statement of Intent claimed SIG teams "are dedicated to the investigation of national security-related crime including terrorism". Before the formation of the SIG teams, surveillance of protest groups was mainly done by police Threat Assessment Unit staff.

Detective Gilroy moved to New Zealand in 1973 from the London Metropolitan Police and was a member of the Armed Offenders Squad and then Special Tactics Group from 1975-1999, when he appears to have moved into police intelligence work.

Gilroy received the Queen's Service Award in 2001 for public services.