According to this report, low levels of corruption are part of New Zealand’s self-identity, however reliance on a lack of corruption is essential as part of a stable business environment. Unfortunately, New Zealand has been slipping down the international corruption rankings with declining scores on various measures.

The report considers the growing perception of corruption in New Zealand’s political and governance systems in recent years and why this matters.

The research identifies five areas most vulnerable to corrupt practices: the practice of political lobbying; political donations and elections funding; access to official information; foreign bribery; and beneficial ownership of corporate entities.

The report makes a number of recommendations to make New Zealand’s political systems fairer, some of which have been put forward previously by reputable bodies, but so far current and previous governments have failed to implement them. These include:

• Regulating lobbying
• Limiting donations to political parties and improving disclosure of these donations
• Improving access to official information
• Strengthening laws against foreign bribery
• Establish a registry of beneficial ownership

The report is a timely examination of the key issues that affect transparency and integrity in New Zealand.