At the end of August François Valérian, Chair of Transparency International globally is visiting the Pacific TI chapters. He will spend three days in New Zealand and will be participating in several events while visiting.

We are pleased to learn that Tennis player Marcus Daniell is being nominated by The New Zealand Olympic Committee to stand for the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission.

New Zealand was represented at the 21st International Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania by former Governor General and conference Vice Chair Sir Anand Satyanand, TINZ Chair the Hon Anne Tolley and by TINZ CEO Julie Haggie. The conference attracted outstanding defenders of ethical behaviour and governance.

The International Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius Lithuania was a great opportunity for learning and networking and for catching up with international colleagues. At the same time it was sobering to realise how much more needs to be done to combat corruption.

Special attention to politically exposed persons (PEPs) in anti-money laundering regimes is important because political corruption can affect a country’s economic performance by diverting public funds away from essential services including education, health, housing and law enforcement.

Virtual assets have created new avenues to commit crimes and new secure payment methods for criminals. Applying AML/CFT regulations to digital currency transactions can help fight cybercrime.

The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) has been established to navigate the complex intersection of information, fairness and technological progress.

A very important consultation is underway on the future of the New Zealand census. It seeks your social licence for Stats NZ to access, combine, use, and store your data from various programmes and sources. We strongly encourage everyone to have their say before the consultation closes on 18 June, 2024.

New Zealand has been a world leader in public financial management for over two decades.. Without the impetus from the creation of a Parliamentary Budget Office and an improved Citizen’s budget, we are on the road to mediocrity in budgeting.

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

Recent cases in New Zealand and Australia highlight gaps in AML reporting systems in the casino sector.. Anti-money laundering prosecutions and settlements are making an impact, however more can be done including civil penalties or criminal liabilities for individuals in senior management roles, lower cash thresholds, and mandatory cashless poker machines.

The increasing global tensions in wars and conflicts have seen a flurry of economic sanction orders coming into place which can be an effective non- armed response to bad actors