Wellington City Council is seeking legal advice on whether it must release security footage to the National Party.
National want the footage as it tries to find out who made secret audio recordings of its MPs' conversations during their party conference last weekend.
Deputy leader Bill English was recorded saying National would "eventually" sell Kiwibank, which he later retracted. MP Lockwood Smith talked about needing to swallow dead fish to keep the public happy and his colleague Nick Smith was also recorded.
National has accused Labour of being behind the recordings and a dirty tricks campaign but Labour says National is being paranoid and it knows nothing about it.
A National Party spokesman confirmed the party had asked for the security footage but Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean told NZPA it was not normally given out, except to police.
There were privacy concerns about releasing footage and the council was seeking a legal opinion on whether it would be required to give it under the Official Information Act.
"Generally with all our CCTV cameras, whether they are internal or external, we just normally turn people down - that's whether it be the media or anyone else," Mr MacLean said.
"It's obviously just gathered for protection of property and for safety reasons. We're just getting legal advice to make sure our position is the right one."
Mr MacLean said the council was also checking to ensure that there was footage.
"We are checking our recording equipment."
Cameras were around main entrances.
Mr MacLean said if police asked for footage they would get it.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen has called on National's leader John Key to apologise for accusing Labour of being behind secret recordings of its MPs.
Mr Key has accused Labour of a dirty tricks campaign and last night released pictures of his electorate office rubbish, which he said had been searched twice recently. Food items were apparently left behind and other items taken.
Mr Key said he also suspected a Young Labour activist was behind the secret taping of private conversations with senior MPs at a cocktail party opening National's annual conference on Friday.
TV3 News, which has been broadcasting the politically embarrassing comments, last night reported its source had said he was not linked to any of the parties represented in Parliament.
Dr (Lockwood) Smith today said it was clear the person was a liar, as he had told him he was a member of National's youth wing.
He said on Radio New Zealand the man had repeatedly badgered him about whether he supported nuclear power. He had also asked about Kiwibank and Working For Families.
He said his actions were damaging to democracy as it would make it harder for party members to have free and frank discussions with their MPs.
Dr Smith said he would still recognise the tall young man who was dressed less conservatively than most Young National members.
Scoop, a news website, was first to post the recording of Mr English on Sunday and on a blog site, former politician and author Michael Bassett said Scoop was involved.
"Snooping Scoopers have become TV3's new news gatherers," he wrote.
Scoop Media co-editor Selwyn Manning told NZPA he was emailed the recording. He did not seek to identify who the sender was.
"What is most important to me is the content of what was said in the audio."
He decided there was a public interest and, after checking the audio was not doctored, posted it on Scoop.
"I have no interest in how the audio came into being."
Mr Manning said he was surprised by Dr Bassett's comments.
"I am absolutely surprised that a person who claims to be a historian would actually base an opinion based on innuendo and misinformation."
Mr Key has tried to shrug off the various comments but they have laid his party open to a torrent of criticism from the Government, which claims they are proof National has a "secret agenda".
Should the culprit be found it is unclear what action could be taken.
Canterbury University associate law professor Ursula Cheer today said it was not illegal to record a conversation you were involved in or could reasonably be expected to have overheard.
If the person entered the cocktail party on false pretences, however, he could face a civil charge of trespass, she told Radio New Zealand.
If the conversation was intended to be confidential and the person provided that to media there was also the possibility of a civil charge of breach of confidence.
However, media publishing a tape of a confidential conversation could mount a defence that airing the tape was in the public interest.
