A leaked diplomatic cable shows the intelligence relationship between New Zealand and the United States was fully restored last year, but deliberately kept secret.
The cable was one of nine obtained by The Sunday Star Times newspaper from the Wikileaks website, which is drip-feeding 250,000 secret communications.
A Government ban on visits by nuclear-powered ships in the 1980s caused a rift in the US-New Zealand military and intelligence relationship.
The cable from the US embassy in Wellington was written in early January as a briefing for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a visit to New Zealand, which was later delayed.
The briefing marked 'secret' and 'not for foreign eyes' says US-New Zealand intelligence relations were fully restored on 29 August last year, but that fact should not be acknowledged in public.
Mrs Clinton revealed in October last year that there had been a change, but gave no details. The information has never been confirmed by the New Zealand Government.
Greens say secrecy unacceptable
The Green Party says it is unacceptable the Government kept secret the extent of its intelligence relationship with the United States.
Greens' foreign affairs spokesperson, Keith Locke, says the Government wanted to avoid any backlash from those concerned about New Zealand becoming too close to the United States.
And he says the public should be wary that Prime Minister John Key is described in the cables as having a strong personal pro-American outlook.
Mr Locke says "there's been a lot of criticism in New Zealand of the Key government getting too close to the US administration, sending special forces into Afghanistan and a lot of debate around Waihopai and whether we are spying for the United States".
