Along with many other civil society organisations Transparency International New Zealand has added its name to an international declaration on COVID-19 and its risks to open government.

As we focus on protecting everyone’s health and well-being from this unprecedented global virus, we are made acutely aware of life and death and the ways in which we manage the transition from one to the other. ...consider the voices we are losing, the stories that make up our collective memory and how we might “protect, record and cherish them, while we still have a chance."

New Zealand needs to address long-standing open government engagement and content issues in its next Open Government Partnership National Action Plan. The government and the public need to work together to resolve these issues so that more New Zealanders participate in New Zealand’s democracy.

Guest author Tim Barnett discusses the complex issues and practical challenges of political party funding in New Zealand. He offers a couple of examples where these issues are being addressed in other ways that are worth considering for New Zealand.

A review of recent Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) activity around elections offers a broad-brush look at our initial plans for the 2020 electoral cycle.

New Zealand is developing it's fourth Open Government Partnership National Action Plan. Here is an update about planned events and a suggestion for areas where transformative initiatives are called for.