The 2024-2025 Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) Annual Report was provided to members at the Annual General Meeting on the 11th 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.

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.

The Cabinet has agreed to stay in the Open Government Partnership. This is contingent on a narrowing of the scope of the NAP5, now focusing closely on four areas of the Public Sector Commission’s Integrity Action Plan.

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.

With local elections underway, we encourage everyone to vote. We also recommend resources for local officials.

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.

New Zealand scores 99 out of 100 in the Freedom House Freedom in the World report. This places New Zealand behind Finland with a score of 100 and second equal with Norway and Sweden. Unsurprisingly these are countries who regularly top the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Transparency International New Zealand regularly runs Leaders Integrity Forums on issues relating to transparency, accountability, corruption-prevention and integrity. A number of times a year, public sector leaders gather at these forums.

In September 2025 the Office of the Auditor-General looked at how the Public Service Commission promotes integrity in the public service; whether the Codes of Conduct, guidance, and standards it issues are relevant, current, and easy to find and understand; and what the Commission does to ensure that public servants know about and use these documents.

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.