TRACKING THE SPY SAGA LAST WEEK

Sunday

The Sunday Star-Times reveals a leaked New Zealand Defence Force security manual lists ‘‘certain investigative journalists’’ as a ‘‘subversion’’ threat, alongside foreign spy agencies and terrorists. The Star-Times also reports allegations the New Zealand military received help from US spy agencies to monitor the phone calls of Kiwi journalist Jon Stephenson while reporting in Afghanistan. Monday

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman orders defence bosses to edit its manual, calling the reference to journalists ‘‘heavy-handed’’ and inappropriate. He denies Stephenson was spied on. Tuesday

After denying it the previous week, Speaker David Carter admitted Andrea Vance’s phone records had been released to a ministerial inquiry into the GCSB’s illegal spying on New Zealanders. Carter apologises and blames an unnamed junior contractor working for the Parliamentary Service. Wednesday

Prime Minister John Key reveals his chief of staff, Wayne Eagleson, emailed the Parliamentary Service to relay his wish that it release phone records – but insists he was referring only to phone logs for ministers and their staff. He says the release of Vance’s records is not his responsibility. Thursday

Head of the Parliamentary Service, Geoff Thorn, resigns over the release of Vance’s phone records.

Key’s GCSB Bill passes its second reading, 61 to 59 votes. Key talks up the need for the bill by claiming there are people living in New Zealand who have been trained by al Qaeda. Friday

After claiming on Tuesday that a junior worker supplied phone records to the Henry inquiry, it is now revealed a senior Parliamentary Service staffer sent them plus full contents of email exchanges between Peter Dunne and Vance without their permission. It is also revealed Andrew Kibblewhite, chief executive of Key’s Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, knew about the email privacy breach for almost a month, but did not tell Dunne, Vance or Key.

Fairfax Media, Vance’s employer and publisher of the Sunday Star-Times, lays a complaint with the privacy commissioner, saying it has no confidence in the way the matter was being handled.

United States Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says he is investigating claims the US military helped the New Zealand Defence Force spy on journalist Jon Stephenson.