Whistleblower Edward Snowden says New Zealand prime minister John Key has not been telling the truth about mass spying on citizens, just days before the country goes to the polls.

Mr Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared via video link at an event at Auckland's Town Hall on Monday evening.

Mr Snowden, speaking from Moscow, said that during his work as an analyst with the US National Security Agency (NSA) he regularly came across communications of New Zealanders while working with a mass surveillance tool shared with New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).

He also said New Zealand housed one of a network of sensors around the world which allowed access to email addresses.

Earlier in the day, Mr Snowden said Mr Key's claim that there had never been any mass surveillance was not true.

"Any statement that mass surveillance is not performed in New Zealand ... is categorically false," Mr Snowden said in a statement.

"If you live in New Zealand, you are being watched."

Mr Assange, speaking from the Ecuador embassy in London, spoke about New Zealand's role within the Five Eyes intelligence network alongside the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.

About 1,000 people attended the event, organised by internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, who has long vowed to show that Mr Key was a liar before the country's general elections.

Before the event, Mr Key released a series of papers that he said would counter "misinformation" about the work of the GCSB.

"There is not, and never has been, a cable access surveillance programme operating in New Zealand," Mr Key said.

"There is not, and never has been, mass surveillance of New Zealanders undertaken by the GCSB."



Movie studio says email a 'fabrication'

Mr Key also dismissed an email which purported to show he was involved in a plan to have German-born Dotcom settled in New Zealand so he could be extradited to the United States.

Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload and Mega, has been fighting extradition to the US on charges that he facilitated the illegal download of movies and music worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

He has accused Mr Key of being involved in a plan to grant him residency so that US officials could more easily extradite him.

The plan was allegedly hatched before Dotcom was granted New Zealand residency.

The email, dated October 27, 2010, is said to be from Warner Brothers chairman and chief executive Kevin Tsujihara to a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America.

It said in part: "I see strong support for our anti-piracy effort. John Key told me in private that they are granting Dotcom residency despite pushback from officials about his criminal past."



The movie studio called the email a "fabrication".

The allegations come five days ahead of New Zealanders going to the polls in general elections.