SFO Leads AntiCorruption Taskforce Pilot To Strengthen Public Sector Resilience
The Taskforce will be led by the SFO and draw on specialist counter fraud and enforcement expertise to assess the extent of the corruption and fraud risk.
The Taskforce will work with a representative group of six public service agencies, Inland Revenue, Accident Compensation Corporation, the Department of Corrections, Ministry of Social Development, Land Information New Zealand, and Sport New Zealand, to complete an indepth selfassessment of their fraud and corruption control maturity. The six agencies will also report on the volume of corruption and fraud detected and prevented.
SFO Chief Executive Karen Chang says, 'Tackling publicsector fraud and corruption is about safeguarding taxpayer funds and protecting New Zealanders' trust in government. By bringing frontline agencies and enforcement partners together, this will help build a clearer intelligence picture that can be used to lift system resilience and ensure we stay ahead of emerging threats such as insider threats, foreign interference and AIenabled fraud.'
'Many of the organisations in this pilot are already proactive members of our Counter Fraud Centre community. Their willingness to lift the hood and share data shows a strong tonefromthetop commitment to integrity. Together we'll create a baseline that informs more targeted prevention, better detection and, ultimately, stronger enforcement.'
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Rochesays, 'New Zealand's reputation for integrity in government is hard-earned and must be protected. This taskforce will further strengthen our ability to detect and prevent fraud and corruption wherever and whenever it happens in the public sector.'
NewZealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, says 'Corruption and serious fraud threaten the trust and integrity that underpin our society. By working together with agencies across government, this Taskforce will help us identify risks early and apply our collective enforcement expertise to keep the system strong and accountable.'
The SFO acknowledges the leadership of Police Minister HonMark Mitchell and Public Service Minister HonJudith Collins in championing the Taskforce, and thanks the chief executives of the six pilot agencies for their partnership.
More information
The pilot will run for six months and consist of two phases
Phase one has already begun (July-September) and involves the Taskforce working with the six agencies to gather data and test the assessment and reporting processes
Phase two (October-December), will involve the Taskforce reviewing the data and preparing a public report and advice to Ministers on next steps
Anti-CorruptionTaskforce Pilot explained.
About the SFO
The SFO is responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious or complex fraud, including bribery, and corruption in New Zealand. With a focus on maintaining integrity and trust in the financial system, the SFO has developed strategic areas of focus to ensure it has the greatest impact with the cases it takes in. SFO Strategic Areas of Focus
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
2 hours ago
- 1News
Govt trumpets billions being spent on infrastructure in coming months
The Government has released an infrastructure update showing $6 billion of state-funded construction is due to start between now and Christmas. The ministers who were visiting a construction site in Drury spoke to media this morning. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also took part in the briefing. Minister for Economic Growth Nicola Willis and Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop said in a media release that the projects would drive economic activity and create thousands of jobs across the country. "The projects getting underway include new roads, hospitals, schools, high-tech laboratories and other government buildings," Willis said. "That means spades in the ground, jobs throughout the country and a stronger economy. ADVERTISEMENT "Improving the quality of New Zealand's infrastructure is critical to growing the economy and helping Kiwis with the cost of living. "Good roads, schools and hospitals help business to move goods and services to market quickly and efficiently, children to learn and doctors and nurses to get patients back on their feet." The projects getting underway would create thousands of employment opportunities for New Zealanders, Bishop said. "Numbers vary according to the nature of projects, but data sourced from the Infrastructure Commission suggests each billion dollars of infrastructure investment per year equates to about 4500 jobs. "In total, workers are expected to start construction on $3.9 billion worth of roading projects in the next few months. "They include the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway, the Melling interchange, the Waihoehoe Road upgrade, and the new Ōmanawa bridge on SH29. All will help to lift productivity by getting people and freight to their destinations quickly and safely. "Health projects kicking off include upgrades to Auckland City Hospital, Middlemore Hospital, and the construction of a new acute mental health unit at Hutt Valley Hospital. ADVERTISEMENT "Construction work on the new inpatients' building at the new Dunedin Hospital has also just begun." Projects focused on improving school properties nearly $800 million in value would also be underway before the end of the year, he said. "Other government infrastructure projects due to start before the end of this year include a massive new state-of-the-art biosecurity facility in Auckland for the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Papakura District Court interim courthouse. "Importantly, this is just the start. The National Infrastructure Pipeline, managed by the Infrastructure Commission, now shows planned future projects totalling $207 billion across central government, local government and the private sector." Alongside the infrastructure update, Nicola Willis today released an update on the Government's Infrastructure for Growth work programme. The update is the first refresh of the Going for Growth agenda launched in February to drive economic growth by backing business, improving infrastructure and skills, and removing barriers to innovation. The projects beginning construction include: Hutt Valley Te Whare Ahuru Acute Mental Health Unit, Wellington Kidz First and McIndoe Building Recladding, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland Linear Accelerators Replacement, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland Plant Health & Environment Capability Laboratory, Auckland Papakura District Court Interim Courthouse, Auckland Waihoehoe Road Upgrade, Auckland SH22 (Drury) Corridor Upgrade - interim works, Auckland SH29 Tauriko - Omanawa Bridge - Bay of Plenty SH1 Ōtaki to north of Levin, Horowhenua SH2 Melling Interchange, Wellington SH76 Brougham Street, Canterbury Rolleston Access Improvements - Package 1, Canterbury Parliamentary Library - south building and underground carpark seismic strengthening & rebuild, Wellington School property projects across the country including roll growth classrooms, upgrades and redevelopments & learning support satellite classrooms, administration blocks and gymnasiums.
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
Inflation Numbers Expose Govt's Economic Failure
Today's inflation numbers reveal more than rising prices; they expose a government failing by its own standards while our most vulnerable pay the price. 'While Christopher Luxon talks about growth at all costs, New Zealanders across the country are being forced to choose between heating their home or feeding their families,' says Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 'We can build an economy that works for people and planet, but that requires decisions that prioritise the wellbeing of all, instead of lining the pockets of those at the top. 'Luxon's Government is cutting investment and creating the conditions for severe unemployment, shredding the social safety net, pushing thousands into poverty, and then punishing them for it. 'A report this morning from the Child Poverty Action Group showed that rent, food, and utilities now swallow 62 – 98 per cent of disposable income for beneficiary families and over 60 per cent for full-time minimum-wage workers. 'A Green Government will do things differently. Instead of taxpayer subsidies for new gas fields in the middle of the climate crisis and slashing investment in our communities - we would rapidly reduce emissions, reduce the cost of living, and improve New Zealanders' quality of life. 'Christopher Luxon shows people who he works for in his actions every day. While telling regular people there's 'no magic money tree,' he's found billions for military spending, fossil fuel, tobacco, and landlord tax cuts. 'Luxon's Government now has the gall to blame Local Government, who have had their credit ratings downgraded because Luxon's Government pulled the rug out on fixing our water infrastructure. 'A better world is possible, and it starts with the sun setting on this one term Government,' says Chlöe Swarbrick. Notes: CPAG released a report today which found that 'Between 2018 and 2024, policy changes slowly reduced the number of households in weekly shortfall. From 2024 to 2025, the trend reverses." The CPAG report also found that "Rent, food, and utilities now swallow 62 – 98 per cent of disposable income for beneficiary families and over 60% for full-time minimum-wage workers"
NZ Herald
3 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Government's $6b infrastructure push faces criticism from the Opposition
The projects would create thousands of jobs and lift productivity by getting people and freight to their destinations quickly and safely, Bishop said. But Green Party infrastructure spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said spending billions of dollars on roading projects would not solve the country's productivity crisis. 'They're trying to distract from the fact their actions cancelling heaps of projects has led to a crisis in the construction industry here in Aotearoa, where last month almost a third of business liquidations were construction companies. 'The coalition Government has cancelled far more projects than any other government that I'm aware of. They cancelled the ferries, they've cancelled lots of public house builds, and other decisions they've made to cut public spending have led to a longer and deeper recession. 'This is really a Government trying to govern with PR stunts and slogans, and no real commitment to solving the challenges we're facing.' Green Party infrastructure spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter. Photo / Mark Mitchell A majority of New Zealanders wanted to take action on climate change, so getting off fossil fuels and on to more sustainable transport was a win-win that would do more for productivity, she said. Willis said the projects due to get under way included new roads, hospitals, schools, high-tech laboratories and other government buildings. 'That means spades in the ground, jobs throughout the country and a stronger economy.' Improving New Zealand's infrastructure was critical to growing the economy and helping with the cost of living, Willis said. Luxon said the Government was 'on the side of the Kiwis who need roads to get to their jobs at the crack of dawn, deliver essential goods like food and get their kids to school'. He said the Government would partner with the private sector 'where it made sense'. 'We're obviously doing a huge amount of investment ourselves as Government, but it's a combination of both of those things.' Labour's infrastructure spokesman Kieran McAnulty characterised the announcement as nothing more than a distraction. 'Just this morning ... the Associate Housing Minister [Tama Potaka] finally admitted the Government's policies have contributed to an unprecedented rise in homelessness and the best distraction they can come up with is an announcement of an announcement – I think that speaks volumes,' McAnulty said. 'There's nothing new in today's announcement. People knew that was happening, and some of it was actually started under the previous government. What the infrastructure sector actually want is certainty ... because we've already lost 15,000 workers in construction, many of them have gone to Australia, and every week we've got civil construction firms going under because of the lack of work. Labour's infrastructure spokesman Kieran McAnulty. Photo / Mark Mitchell 'Today's re-announcement isn't going to help any of those people. 'It would have been preferable for the Government to announce new work, or bring projects and maintenance work forward to give firms confidence and certainty, so they can either keep their workers or attract them back.' References to private investment and collaboration rang hollow, McAnulty said. 'We've been hearing the Government talking about public-private partnerships since the day they came in – we still haven't seen any of them signed or under way. I'd like to see the Government actually come up with something tangible. 'Announcing things and making a big deal about things that they already had been announced or under way under the previous Government is not going to give people the certainty they want.' Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett welcomed the announcement, which he said came at a time when the industry was 'bleeding capability'. Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett. An Infrastructure New Zealand survey found 65% of firms had reduced staff over the past 12 months, and nearly half had lost workers to overseas markets. 'New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit, and we need our skilled workforce here to close it.' He said the country has a 'perennial problem' with start-stops when it comes to building infrastructure, and he wanted to see a more 'bipartisan approach'. Leggett acknowledged the projects announced were not new, but said the industry association's focus was on the increase in projects under way by December this year, compared to last year. 'And we're hopeful that in December of 2026, there'll be even more work. 'We've got very skilled, professional people in different parts across the infrastructure industry that are keen to get their teeth into those projects announced today, some of them, of course, have been paused or cancelled previously. But the point is they're going to be in the market quickly.' He wanted to see more work on smoothing out the infrastructure pipeline. 'What we need to do is get agreed on what the pipeline looks like and never have the kind of stops we've seen in the last decade or so that pause or cancel projects. 'Our economy needs this stimulus, and it needs these projects so people can get health and education results and be able to move around on transport projects that actually get built rather than just get argued over.' The full list of projects due to get under way this year includes: Hutt Valley Te Whare Ahuru Acute Mental Health Unit, Wellington Kidz First and McIndoe Building Recladding, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland Linear Accelerators Replacement, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland Dunedin Hospital Sterile Services Unit, Dunedin Plant Health & Environment Capability Laboratory, Auckland Plant Health & Environment Capability Laboratory, Auckland Papakura District Court Interim Courthouse, Auckland Waihoehoe Road Upgrade, Auckland SH22 (Drury) Corridor Upgrade – interim works, Auckland SH29 Tauriko – Ōmanawa Bridge – Bay of Plenty SH1 Ōtaki to north of Levin, Horowhenua SH2 Melling Interchange, Wellington SH76 Brougham Street, Canterbury Rolleston Access Improvements – Package 1, Canterbury Parliamentary Library – south building and underground carpark seismic strengthening & rebuild, Wellington School property projects across the country, including classrooms, upgrades, redevelopments, learning support satellite classrooms, administration blocks and gymnasiums The Government said there was also a small number of 'significant projects' which could not be named for 'a range of commercial reasons', but were included in the $6b total. – RNZ
