“Civil society participation is essential to the achievement and maintenance of common wealth and resilience” was the key message from Transparency International New Zealand to leaders attending the October Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.

Te Kawa Mataaho, The Public Service Commission is currently consulting on subject matter topics for its long-term insights briefing. TINZ’s response focused on addressing long term integrity risks and how to proactively address them.

Aotearoa New Zealand's historically low levels of corruption have encouraged complacency and a reactive approach to policy making at top levels of politics and the public service.This is the finding presented in our just released research report: An assessment of the effectiveness of anti-corruption institutions in New Zealand in deterring, detecting and exposing corruption. This research forms part of our National Integrity System Assessment work programme. 

Earlier this year, the Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes quietly finished his time with the Public Service Commission, Te Kawa Mataaho. TINZ and New Zealand owes him a huge debt for his strong support of the trust and integrity of the public service and of our elected government.

Prioritising the declaration and management of conflicts of interest is essential for upholding integrity in procurement within the New Zealand public sector.

The Fast Track Approvals Bill raises concerns around democratic decision-making, the principle of the separation of powers, increased power of the Executive, participation and overall transparency.