As we head towards World Whistleblowing Day on 23 June, we praise just a few of the many New Zealanders who have spoken up about corrupt behaviour in organisations they work in or for.
There are many not listed here. We also acknowledge many people reporting other behaviours such as bullying, sexual abuse, poor health and safety, and lying to protect self-interest. Those behaviours can have a catastrophic impact on people’s lives, including the whistleblower.
Hero 1: Auckland City Council employee
In 2018 an external supplier paid a bribe to an Auckland Council procurement specialist to secure a $140,000 USB supply contract. The supplier and employee were long term associates. The Council employee engaged in numerous corrupt behaviours enabling the supplier to secure the contract, including assisting the supplier in the procurement process and manipulating procurement documentation.
Another employee of the Council became suspicious following communications with the supplier. The employee consulted the whistleblower policy and informed their direct manager.
Following further investigation by the Auckland Council Integrity Team, the matter was reported to the Serious Fraud Office. The public official pled guilty to corruption offences and received 10 months home detention.
Heroes 2: Anonymous tip Off and on-to-it manager seeing red flag - Million-dollar Corruption at Auckland Transport
Management changes at Auckland Transport resulted in an internal audit of the roading team budget. A new manager raised a red flag upon discovering that all the roading projects had come in exactly on budget with the work was largely allocated to one supplier. Around the same time, an employee raised suspicions through anonymous emails. This led to an investigation which identified consistent deceptive behaviours extending over five years.
An investigation revealed that an external supplier paid bribes to public officials to secure contracts, the outcome of which were manipulated by a senior manager. Two of the offenders went to prison and another received home detention. Six other employees were dismissed from the agency for breaking gift and inducement rules.
Hero 3: New Zealander, employee of UNDP:
John O’Brien spent many years trying to expose corruption and fraud within the UN Development Programme (UNDP) specifically related to financing the Russian office of UNDP’s Standards and Labels (S&L) project in Russia. O’Brien has never received justice for his actions, lost the job he loved and was persecuted. Investigations, if they have occurred, have not been transparently reported. John stood firm on his principles, he is a New Zealand hero.
Hero 4: Contract Manager sentenced in road maintenance corruption case, following tipoff
A former Contract Manager at Broadspectrum, was the architect of several schemes of accepting cash and gifts in exchange for awarding work to subcontractors, and submitting false invoices to obtain significant benefits for himself to the value of over $1million. The Serious Fraud Office uncovered this wrongdoing thanks to a brave tip-off from a subcontractor, The Contract Manager was sentenced to four years and five months on 4 December 2024.
Hero 5: New Zealand Cyclist Olivia Podmore
The NZ Cycling’s Olivia Podmore case is one tragic example. A forensic psychologist observed that her experiences as a whistleblower were the dominant feature in her deteriorating mental state that lead-up to her death.
International Whistleblowers
Transparency International also recognises the important role that whistleblowers play in fighting corruption. The theme of this year’s World Whistleblower Day on 23 June, is “Whistleblowing in the age of misinformation.” TI is highlighting courageous whistleblowers, like Frances Haugen, Sophie Zhang and Ephrem Yalike-Ngonzo, who exposed disinformation in increasingly complex and hostile environments.
Serious Fraud Office Foreign Bribery Reporting Platform
TINZ also commends the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for developing an Online Foreign Bribery Reporting platform that “protects identities while allowing secure follow-up with SFO investigators. The service will be accessible in multiple languages to reach as many people as possible.”
It is fully encrypted and aligns with recommendations from international bodies like the OECD which has urged stronger whistleblower protections, including the ability for whistleblowers and others to make anonymous reports with confidence.
The SFO has also launched a national campaign targeting foreign bribery to raise awareness and to encourage reporting. Adam Hunt, TINZ Director attended the launch on behalf of TINZ. SFO Director Karen Chang said at the launch that “Foreign bribery is notoriously difficult to detect, but if left unchecked, it undermines trust, transparency and fair competition. Our national advertising campaign and new reporting platform is a crucial step in making it easier and safer for people to come forward.”
“Foreign bribery distorts global markets, with corrupt actors benefiting at the expense of honest businesses. It can take many forms such as: a New Zealand company paying a foreign official for market access, a bribe from an overseas company to a public official here, or kickbacks to a private sector employee by a foreign company.
One of the most effective ways to detect these cases is by whistleblowers and others being prepared to report what they know. However, fear of retaliation, reputational damage, or career consequences often stops people from speaking up.”
