GCSB opposition unites in Auckland tonight

Labour Party leader David Shearer and Mega founder Kim Dotcom will head a public meeting in Auckland tonight, addressing key issues surrounding the controversial GCSB bill.

"Four months ago I called for a full independent inquiry into our intelligence agencies," says Shearer, speaking ahead of the event this evening.

"I made that call because New Zealanders' trust has been shattered and it's the only way to restore their confidence.

"The GCSB law that the Government is rushing through is ad hoc and politically motivated just to get the embarrassing saga of illegal spying off the agenda."

Branding the process "farcical", Shearer stuck the boot into Prime Minister John Key, questioning why the public should trust his judgment.

"Effectively he is asking us to trust him," he says. "But we've spent months trying to drag the truth out of John Key over the GCSB, Dotcom, illegal spying and his own office's involvement in obtaining a journalist's emails.

"New Zealanders are right to question whether they can trust the oversight of our intelligence agencies.

"Come along and show John Key how seriously you take this issue. We must keep our country safe but just as important is the protection of our freedoms."

Scheduled for Auckland Town Hall at 7pm, other speakers include:

• Dr Rodney Harrison QC (New Zealand legal civil rights advocate)

• Jon Stephenson (Journalist)

•Helen Kelly (President of the Council of Trade Unions)

• Professor Jane Kelsey (academic critic of American economic free market hegemony)

• Marama Davidson (Indigenous rights activist & blogger)

• Russel Norman (Leader of the Green Party)

• Hone Harawira (Leader of the MANA Party)

• Winston Peters (Leader of the NZ First Party)

Will you be attending the meeting in Auckland tonight? Tell us why below