On 29 August 2024 three organisations - TINZ, the New Zealand Chapters of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and Risk Management Society (RIMS) - hosted an anti-corruption business forum in Auckland.
The forum was an opportunity to hear from international and local experts about what is needed to strengthen New Zealand’s resilience in the face of rising global corruption.
Integrity, transparency and accountability in our financial and business systems drive our low corruption reputation and our high trust business ecosystem. This is also core to our shared value of a fair society.
Real world problems like addressing bribery and corruption in order to provide public confidence are the responsibility of a number of parties. Multi stakeholder partnerships have the potential to provide far greater value than the sum of their parts. Those partnerships involve organisations from different sectors – from government and the public sector, the private sector, and civil society - all working together with a common outcome of raising awareness, changing behaviours and influencing outcomes.
Speaking at the forum were Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Director, Karen Chang, the Chair of Transparency International, François Valérian, and Business New Zealand Chief Executive, Kirk Hope.
Karen Chang highlighted the importance of the SFO's role in investigating and prosecuting serious and complex fraud and discussed our current operating environment and emerging trends and challenges.
“As economic pressures rise and digital disruptions evolve, fraud and corruption become more sophisticated and pervasive. The SFO's mission is not just about prosecution, but also about raising public awareness, and ensuring businesses and individuals understand their role in safeguarding New Zealand’s integrity and financial well-being.
"We all have a crucial role in combating fraud and corruption. It's not just up to government agencies—every professional, business, and organisation has a stake in safeguarding New Zealand’s reputation. By fostering a culture of integrity, maintaining robust controls, and staying vigilant, we collectively strengthen our defences against the rising risks of fraud, especially in times of economic pressure."
The forum was a great opportunity to engage with international and local experts and discuss strategies to enhance New Zealand’s defences against corruption.
The Anti-Corruption Forum was a collaborative event between Transparency International New Zealand who have spent the last 25 years fighting corruption and demanding greater transparency and integrity in all areas of public life and private business, the Risk Management Society (RIMS) NZ & PI Chapter who promote the advancement of risk management and whose members address bribery and corruption risks for the organisations they are employed by and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) NZ Chapter whose network of members investigate fraud, bribery and corruption cases.
All three organisations are not-for-profit organisations driven by a common goal to play a part in increasing awareness of, preventing and supporting investigation into bribery and corruption risks. By facilitating transparent discussion with government, law enforcement and business we aim to reduce any mediocrity, and to reinforce our commitment to combat bribery and corruption wherever that occurs. This goal applies to organisations operating locally or internationally so we can continue to provide the public and our trading partners with confidence to continue to do business with NZ Inc.
