The 2021 Aotearoa New Zealand SDG Virtual Summit and release of the Auditor General’s report on New Zealand’s SDG preparedness put the SDGs in the spotlight. Urgent action is needed on our SDG Commitment..

A stable and thriving economy and society rely on integrity systems that facilitate checks and balances on power, transparency of decision-making and information, the ability to speak up about wrongdoing, and to see this investigated. It also relies on the ability for people to explore issues, participate in public debate and policy formation.

The average New Zealand household spends $34 per week on products whose production depends on modern slavery. This webinar discussed what it is, how it exploits vulnerable populations and actions to take to eliminate it from our supply chains.

The 16th Doc Edge Festival will be held. 3 June – 11 July 2021. The festival features 83 films, 38 days, 4 venues.- Auckland (SkyCity Theatre, The Civic), Wellington (The Roxy) and online nationwide. Here are a couple of films related to transparency

Modern Slavery presents a sizable financial global impact. In the United Kingdom alone the cost of modern slavery as been estimated at between £3.3bn and £4.3bn per year. The New Zealand Government, and its people, need to take a much stronger stand.

In New Zealand human rights law sits mainly within the purview of the Human Rights Commission, Crown Law and the Ministry of Justice.  Human Rights Commissioner, Paul Hunt, is calling for New Zealand to take on the challenge of implementation, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because we are legally bound to this journey.

Without transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights are compromised and inequality may lead to greater corruption.  This is profoundly affecting peace and security across the globe.

We have a long way to go to redress the imbalance of importing rare earths in return for exporting corruption. New Zealand should consider a law similar to that being introduced in Switzerland. Applying New Zealand’s relatively high standards externally, could go a long way towards helping New Zealand move to a small but influential role in reducing the import and export of corruption.

We need to consider how we continue to respond to this pandemic in the weeks, months and years ahead, ensuring that the rights of people are protected. Our vulnerable populations are very much at risk.

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."

There is an urgent need to improve inclusivity and integration of our recent arrivals by overcoming intransigence and lack of transparency in the public service. By this means, they will flourish and successfully contribute to our society and overall wellbeing.