Club Otago Lunch November 2014

03/12/2014

It was most topical that Howard Broad, the Deputy Chief Executive: Security & Intelligence in the New Zealand Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, was the year’s final Club Otago guest speaker.

With cyber security, global terrorism, new security laws in this country, the threat of Ebolo and the ‘dirty politics’ leading into September’s general election all matters of significant interest, Howard was able to give an insight into the government’s measures to ensure the safety of New Zealanders here and when travelling overseas.

As the former Police Commissioner and now in his various roles with the National Assessments, Intelligence and Cyber Policy, Howard’s knowledge of the inner workings was fascinating. Especially chilling was the genuine threat of ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) to all countries.

Due to the global reach of the internet, ISIS was able to contact sympathetic followers anywhere around the globe and encourage them to wreak havoc – not by flying an aeroplane into the twin towers but by taking a knife and creating mayhem at the local supermarket, petrol station or open-air market.

Howard noted that the interception of those messages was very much a priority.

His honesty and openness was appreciated by a large pre-Christmas crowd in the Glenroy Auditorium.