(Radio NZ) The Supreme Court has declared the then National-led government broke the law in 2016 when it cancelled a woman’s passport on national security grounds.
The crown has been ordered to pay the woman $30,000 to cover her legal costs, but the court declined to require further payment — saying if there were issues relating to costs in the lower courts those courts should resolve them.
The ruling decides an eight-year legal battle shrouded in secrecy, and overturns previous rulings by the High Court and Court of Appeal.
As acting internal affairs minister in 2016, Judith Collins suspended the woman’s passport for 10 working days while the New Zealand SIS spy agency prepared a report on the danger the woman posed.
