New Zealand dismisses Snowden's claim it planned mass domestic spying

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand was preparing to conduct mass domestic surveillance last year, a U.S. investigative journalist said on Monday, five days before the country goes to the polls, provoking immediate denials from Prime Minister John Key.

The accusations by Glenn Greenwald were based on evidence disclosed by former U.S. National Security Authority contractor Edward Snowden that Key's centre-right government planned to exploit amended spying laws to sharply widen domestic spying.