The 5th Edition of the Government Procurement Rules goes live on the 1st December 2025. Using simpler language, the new edition places an increased emphasis on transparency and accountability for the spending of public money.

Strengthening democracy and curbing corruption in developing countries needs a multi-faceted approach, a new peer-reviewed paper from the US National Bureau of Economic Research shows. And, as it turns out, undermining democracy needs a similar approach — in developed countries as well.

The 2024-2025 Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) Annual Report was provided to members at the Annual General Meeting on the 12th of November. TINZ's mission is to foster a New Zealand culture where transparency, integrity, good governance, and ethical standards and practices are the core values of all New Zealanders.

Organised crime has become New Zealand’s top national-security threat, but new government proposals urge urgent, system-wide reform to fight back. Discover how the TSOC Advisory Group’s final report calls for bold, united action to protect our peace and prosperity.

In October, 2,000 people from more than 70 countries attended the Open Government Partnership’s Global Summit in Spain’s Basque Autonomous Community. Its theme was “a time of profound global challenges to democracy”.

In New Zealand, more and more of our personal information is being digitised and connected through the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). To maintain public trust, there must be strong transparency, accountability, and integrity in how these tools are developed and used.

Transparency International Georgia leader risks up to 15 years in prison on unfounded charges, as civil society comes under growing pressure.

Sir Geoffrey Palmer KC has just published his latest book ‘How to Save Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand’. He agreed to the publishing of a recent speech where he talked about current threats to democracy.

Join our webinar series about learning from those who have gone before, lifting up each other’s voices, and finding the courage to step into political spaces — from the village council to parliament.

TINZ has adopted a Code of Ethical Advocacy to complement its existing ethics policies by spelling out clearly the minimum standards we expect of our organisation in our commitment to being open and ethical in our advocacy activities.

In September the New Zealand Customs Service released a report from the Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime, Leading the fight against organized crime. A key message from the report is the need for a more cohesive approach.

The recently revised rules for central government agencies undertaking procurement are a positive step in increasing transparency of government procurement.

TINZ is generally very supportive of the proposed changes. If followed these changes will increase transparency and accountability of the spending of the public purse. We recommend that the NZ Government Procurement Rules should also be reviewed against international standards such as the Open Contracting Partnership Global Principles and the OECD Principles for Integrity in Public Procurement.