TINZ is generally supportive of the legislation. If it works as the Bill intends it should support the Minister of Defence’s responsibility to have oversight of the Defence forces with a level of independent scrutiny and a range of investigative powers. Our concerns with the wording lie in the transparency of the process and lack of public reporting. We think that this can be provided without compromising national security concerns. That is the main focus of our brief comments.

In a comparison with 10 other jurisdictions, the absence of independent oversight of, and personal gains from lobbying in New Zealand is glaring.

New Zealand has lost the top score for Budget Transparency in the latest international Open Budget Survey. While some of the drop is temporary or can be turned around easily, the survey results raise bigger questions about what NZ needs to do next to raise the bar on fiscal transparency.

This issue of the Transparency Times has a particular focus on transparency in government. It highlights areas where the Government, politicians and public servants can be doing a much better job.

Political financing through donations, anonymous or not, should not purchase influence. The principle of one-person one vote underpins democracy. We need to protect the integrity of this essential democratic process.

From the perspective of judging a government’s commitment to openness, they are conveying a signal that no government would choose: that there is no policy coherence between stated intent and reality.