By: Philippa Yasbek
A recently released report from public policy think tank The Helen Clark Foundation brings into sharp focus the growing perception of corruption in New Zealand’s political and governance systems over recent years and why this matters. The report, Shining a light: Improving transparency in New Zealand's political and governance systems, examines the increasing risks of political corruption, particularly around political party funding and lobbying, and outlines the rules and regulations needed to better protect our systems.
The research identifies five areas most vulnerable to corrupt practices: the practice of political lobbying; political donations and elections funding; access to official information; foreign bribery; and beneficial ownership of corporate entities.
In researching the report, I was struck by how our political integrity and honesty has largely evolved from social norms over many decades, rather than formal laws. Politicians by and large knew the conduct that was expected of them by New Zealand society. Sadly, today, we’re naïve to think that’s enough. New Zealand needs stronger laws and regulations to improve trust and confidence in political decision-making, or we risk seeing the rise of populist leaders who are prepared to sweep away democratic norms.
In a foreword, former Attorney-General, Hon Chris Finlayson KC, says the increasing risks of corruption in New Zealand’s political system highlighted in the report are very serious and reach beyond party politics.
“Corruption is an insidious cancer. It is not enough for democracies like ours to pay lip service to principles of transparency and steps which need to be taken against corruption.” He also says that: “New Zealand must critically examine the issues raised in this report on a regular basis and implement law changes, if necessary, as quickly as possible.”
The report makes a number of recommendations to make our political systems fairer, some of which have been put forward previously by reputable bodies, but so far current and previous governments have failed to implement them. These include:
- Regulating lobbying
- Limiting donations to political parties and improving disclosure of these donations
- Improving access to official information
- Strengthening laws against foreign bribery
- Establishing a registry of beneficial ownership
Too frequently, policy changes in New Zealand occur in response to crises, which in turn are often a result of known weaknesses in our laws and institutions. Rather than doing too little, too late, we are recommending simple changes now that can reduce the risks of corruption in New Zealand and forestall future crises.
Philippa Yasbek
Philippa Yasbek is an economist who worked as a public servant for a number of years and now works as a consultant. She undertakes unpaid lobbying work on behalf of Gun Control NZ.
Philippa was interviewed about this report by Q+A with Jack Tame Is available on YouTube
