Ahead of Transparency International New Zealand’s (TINZ) 2025 Annual Meeting, TINZ members and guests gathered in Wellington for a panel discussion examining Aotearoa’s current legislative and system safeguards against growing corruption and integrity risks.
The panel featured Karen Chang, Director, Serious Fraud Office; Andrew Kibblewhite, Secretary for Justice, Ministry of Justice; and Philippa Yasbek, TINZ Director. The event was chaired by TINZ Deputy Chair Debbie Gee.
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Strengthening Financial Crime Controls — Andrew Kibblewhite
Andrew Kibblewhite emphasized that strengthening public trust in the law is central to the Ministry of Justice’s mission. New Zealand’s work with global integrity mechanisms — especially the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) — has been valuable.
Key points:
- Three AML laws are currently before Parliament, with a fourth in draft, aimed at making the anti–money laundering regime more robust and easier for industry to work with.
- The system will move to a single supervisor, replacing the current three-agency oversight model.
- New Zealand is responding to sixty OECD recommendations on corruption, ranging from policy settings to transparency measures.
- Remaining challenges include information sharing, beneficial ownership transparency, and ensuring agencies can coordinate effectively despite limited resources.
Kibblewhite noted that a unified AML strategy is essential: “With a good strategy, we collectively achieve much more.”
Systemwide Corruption Risk Picture — Karen Chang
Karen Chang described how the Serious Fraud Office is expanding beyond enforcement through its Counter Fraud Centre, helping government agencies strengthen their resilience.
They are almost finished with a six-month anti-corruption pilot, jointly run with Police and the Public Service Commission. The program is a deep dive into six diverse public agencies to map insider-threat risks, assess controls, and identify recent corruption incidents. It is based on a methodology adapted from Australia and the UK; a public report is scheduled before year-end.
Early insights confirm the value of systemwide approach, rather than leaving agencies to work in isolation.
Chang also underscored the importance of prevention to stop corrupt influence before it enters vulnerable sectors.
Undue Political Influence & Lobbying — Philippa Yasbek
Philippa Yasbek addressed rising public concern about undue influence in policymaking — particularly political donations and lobbying.
Yasbek noted that most democracies require lobbyist registration, transparency of meetings, and clear ethical rules — reforms New Zealand has yet to adopt. “These are not insoluble problems,” she said. “They just require political will.”
Rule of Law and Global Pressures
Kibblewhite also commented on the international environment, stressing that New Zealand depends heavily on a stable global rule-of-law system. As multilateral institutions come under pressure, smaller nations like New Zealand face disproportionate risk.
Foreign Bribery Threats — Karen Chang
On foreign bribery, Chang noted that cases are extremely hard to detect and often rely on insiders. OECD reviews found limited awareness within New Zealand businesses. In response, the SFO launched a national foreign bribery awareness campaign earlier this year to improve reporting and understanding across the business sector.
