Labour Leader David Shearer, left, and Greens Co-Leader Russell Norman listen to a speaker during the anti-GCSB meeting held in front of a packed house at the Auckland Town Hall.

A woman shows her support to one of the speakers during the anti-GCSB meeting held in front of a packed house at the Auckland Town Hall.

Kim Dotcom speaks during the anti-GCSB meeting held in front of a packed house at the Auckland Town Hall.

A rowdy crowd of more than 1500 people at Auckland's Town Hall tonight for a meeting in protest of the Government Communications Security Bill has been told our country is "sleep walking into a surveillance society".

The meeting, the second such in Auckland in the past month and just before the bill's final reading this week, drew a crowd of all ages to listen to 11 speakers- Dr Rodney Harrison QC, Kim Dotcom, journalist Jon Stephenson, entrepreneur Seeby Woodhouse, CTU president Helen Kelly, Professor Jane Kelsey, from the University of Auckland's law faculty, Maori activist and blogger Marama Davidson, Labour Party leader David Shearer, Green Party leader Russel Norman, New Zealand First Party leader Winston Peters, Mana Party leader Hone Harawira and investigative journalist Nicky Hager.

As people filed in they were played an appropriate soundtrack including Every Breath You Take by the Police and Kora's Politician, and photos of recent protests against the bill.

The first speaker, Harrison, gave a legal analysis of the bill and said the Government had said it would not increase the powers of the GCSB.

"In a nutshell Mr Key is wrong in law in claiming that New Zealanders have nothing to fear. He is wrong in his limited analysis."

Harrison said the present act limited the GCSB to gathering of foreign intelligence with a prohibition on spying on New Zealanders. The new bill, he said, considerably expanded the GCSB's function to spy on New Zealanders.

"The Prime Minister's belated attempt to ensure New Zealanders that we are not sleep walking into a total surveillance society is flawed. John Key may well care about the type of economy he leaves behind when he leaves office. He does not care about the type of society the rest of us will be landed with.The entire process stinks to high heaven."

Dotcom spoke about how he found out he was being spied on. The prolific gamer said he noticed his internet speed had reduced. He later found out that all of his data had been rerouted which was slowing his system. "When the Prime Minister tells us there is no mass surveillance and that is not what the GCSB is about, he is lying to your face. The GCSB has access to the data of every New Zealander, there is no doubt about it.

"We have a Prime Minister in New Zealand who thinks he can push this through with one vote with so many people against it."

Stephenson spoke of his experience as a journalist reporting on the events in Afghanistan since the War on Terror began in 2001 and of becoming aware that his phone data was being monitored.

The bill is expected to have its third reading in parliament this week. It passed its second reading by 61 votes to 59 on August 1 after Act leader John Banks and independent MP Peter Dunne agreed to support the bill.

The Government won Dunne's support after agreeing to make amendments to the bill.

The revised bill includes a code of principles for the spy agency to follow as well as the introduction of an oversight panel.