The combined defence sector in New Zealand is ranked the most transparent and least corrupt in the world in the just released Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI).

The 2021 Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) Annual Report was provided to members at the Annual General Meeting on 18 November. TINZ is very proud of its year of progress as reflected in this report. The mahi was achieved through a combination of expert volunteer inputs, paid staff and good governance.

I have watched with admiration the dedication and hard work of the Board, members with delegated authority and members, all who provide their time on a voluntary basis

Transparency International NZ and the Honest Bunch Foundation hosted a webinar on whistleblowing. We heard research from Prof Kyle Welch of George Washington University, insights from Georgia Bates of MinterEllisonWatts and examples from Hadyn Smith of The Honest Bunch.

The Financial Action Task Force - the authoritative international policy-making body on money laundering - has recently proposed changes that would require countries to have beneficial ownership registries. Anti-corruption organisations have been vigorously advocating on the proposal.

The work from several open government joint workshops was presented to Hon Chris Hipkins, the Minister for the Public Service on 28 October with more than 30 attendees from government agencies and CSOs.

In November TINZ will host two launch events for two important reports: the Pacific Corruption Barometer and the Government Defence Integrity Index

Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) discussed global issues related to sustainable development. An added concern is the virus of the COVID-19-Excuse for retreat from democratic participation.

Record profits during the COVID crisis and low customer ratings make this the ideal time for financial services firms to concentrate on integrity and reputation. TINZ’s FISA Online Self Assessment provides the mechanism for doing it.

On November 17th, IMCNZ is conducting a professional development webinar about navigating the great dichotomy of isolation and hyper-connectedness. TINZ members are invited to attend at the IMCNZ member rate.

The Pandora papers data leak brings renewed scrutiny to New Zealand’s role in the offshore industry exposed by an earlier leak, the Panama papers in 2016. Changes to the trust regime in 2017 appear to have reduced the use of New Zealand based offshore trusts for corrupt uses. The Financial Action Task Force and TINZ are calling for still more transparency.

Public registers of beneficial ownership were unthinkable a decade ago, but impact to date makes a strong case for global adoption. Transparency International shows real evidence of how these registers advance anti-corruption.