Chief Ombudsman welcomes top transparency rating

New Zealand is again ranked first equal with Denmark in the Transparency International annual index of perceived levels of public sector corruption.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has welcomed New Zealand’s position in the 2020 index. He says New Zealand’s consistently high ratings in the index of 108 countries aren't an accident."

"Our standing depends on the strength of our systems and the reputation of our integrity agencies."

"This is testament to the hard work of our public sector and to the oversight bodies that hold government to account when it is needed", he says.

"It’s due to laws like the Protected Disclosures Act which encourages and protects whistleblowers who uncover what they suspect is serious wrongdoing along with the Official Information Act, which promotes open, transparent and accountable government, and contributes to public trust".

"What the Index measures is people’s perception or experience of corruption when interacting with the public sector in their country", he says.

"It’s not an absolute measure of corruption, but a very strong indicator".

"New Zealand’s continued high performance in this area is good for our international reputation, good for trade and investment, and good for public trust in government", he says. 

"I know from my own work with other integrity agencies in the region that we are well-regarded and considered honest brokers."

"New Zealanders should be proud of our reputation as being considered one of the least corrupt countries in the world. But we can never afford to be complacent."