1976: Wanganui Computer Centre Act

September 26, 2022

By AHNZ

Also known as ‘the Kremlin’ and ‘Big Brother,’ Wairere House is where National 3.0 created ‘The Wanganui Computer’ as per the provisions of the Wanganui Computer Centre Act (1976.) New Zealand had never had a centralised national database like this before, and certainly not a computerised one. The data pool drew from Police, Ministry of Transport and Justice records in the name of law enforcement. These user departments were also the only ones who could access the information directly. Even the privacy watchdog had to go through them.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, NZ Police Museum (Facebook 2021.)

We see a huge stack of truck batteries for use as an uninterruptible power supply. And the rows of tanks must pipe to the building for putting out fires without also destroying the expensive computer equipment as water would.

Gets you to thinking about what a massive government spend this was. Robert Muldoon’s National 3.0 Government must have made one of their patrons very wealthy. The trick to laundering money when in government is to keep on thinking up white elephant projects that people will accept as a pretense to part with millions of dollars in taxes.

“The Justice Department at Wanganui has begun using the Wanganui Computer Centre’s case-monitoring and criminal-histories subsystems.” – Press (July 1977,) Papers Past

“Can a New Zealand Prime Minister obtain from the police — whether verbally or by computer printout — details from the files of his political or other enemies? This whole area, once sharply black and white, is now becoming a pervasive grey. Its illumination has suddenly become New Zealand’s most pressing need. The label of “Police State” is easily acquired — and harder to cleanse from the archives of a political party than was the bloodspot from the hands of Lady Macbeth.” – Cedric Mentiplay, Press (1976,) Papers Past

The new government brain troubled many New Zealanders. This was exacerbated by The Moyle Affair (4 November, 1976.) Prime Minister Muldoon, behind the cover of Parliamentary Privilege, intimated that his access to NZ Police intelligence gave him dirt on his Opposition competitor Colin Moyle. Having been accused of homosexual activity, Moyle resigned his seat in parliament to fend of the shame to himself and his party. Was Muldoon using his new computer to spy on us and superior command of intelligence-gathering systems to empower his political career?

By action of evidence the most troubled New Zealander by the Wanganui Computer was certainly Neil Roberts. On 18 November, 1982, he suicide-bombed the building. “The physical result was to blow Neil and the door to smithereens. The two guards within were stunned but not harmed. Wairere House became Ire House but the work was not stopped, the Kiwi Skynet not damaged.” Ref. 1982: Neil Roberts Day

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Note: It was decided in 2015 that Wanganui wasn’t Maori enough already so the city was re-named Whanganui

Image ref. Wanganui Computer databanks, NZ Police Museum, Facebook (2021)

Image ref. Kev’s Wanganui Riverboat History page; Facebook (2019)

Image ref. Wairere House exterior in ruins; Alexander Turnbull Library

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