The Director-General of the GCSB is the leader of the

Government Communications Security Bureau The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) ( mi, Te Tira Tiaki) is the public-service department of New Zealand charged with promoting New Zealand's national security by collecting and analysing information of an intelligence nature. ...

, commonly abbreviated as the GCSB. The organisation is considered the most powerful and influential of the

New Zealand intelligence agencies New Zealand's intelligence agencies and units have existed, with some interruption, since World War II. At present, New Zealand's intelligence community has approximately 550 employees, and has a combined budget of around NZ$145 million. Accordi ...

, and has been headed by

Andrew Hampton Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

since April 2016. The Director-General of the GCSB is appointed by the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

without the consultation of Parliament, and the Director makes reports directly to him or her.

References

{{reflist New Zealand intelligence agencies