Transparency International NZ chairperson, former MP Anne Tolley, wants more accountability and scrutiny of lobbying. Photo: Giles Dexter/RNZ
Former politicians and health experts are calling for more transparency and regulations when it comes to lobbying, to "restore fairness to government decision making".
Level the Playing Field is a joint campaign led by Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA), the Helen Clark Foundation and Transparency International NZ, which is chaired by Anne Tolley, to "end hidden lobbying".
It says New Zealand lags behind most OECD countries in regulating lobbying.
Health Coalition co-chairperson Boyd Swinburn said policy must serve the public, "not just those with money and access".
"When industry lobbying goes unchecked, powerful interests override public good. We need transparency, accountability, and a system that works for everyone."
The group had a five-point plan they said would bring Aotearoa in line with international best practice.
- Regulate lobbying: A public register of lobbyist meetings, a mandatory code of conduct, and an Integrity Commission to enforce these measures;
- Slow the revolving door: A "cooling off" period to prevent former ministers and senior officials from immediately becoming lobbyists in their past areas of responsibility;
- Manage conflicts of interest: Stronger codes of conduct for government employees, appointees, and contractors;
- Strengthen transparency laws: A modernised Official Information Act to prevent government secrecy;
- Tighten political donation rules: Caps on individual donations, a lower disclosure threshold, and limits ensuring only registered voters can donate.
HCA pointed to "recent failures" where government favoured industry over public health, such as "repealing world-leading smokefree laws and prioritising industry interests in infant formula regulations".
Speaking to Nine to Noon, Anne Tolley said the "worse case" when it came to the need for a "cooling off period" was when "we saw Minister of Immigration one week, and the next week, opening your own immigration consultancy business".
There should be a stand down period, "a restraint of trade period" for ministers or a high-ranking public official, Tolley said.
"We want some clear rules.
"You're never going to stop the lobbying industry, but we want it to be much more open and clarified at the same time," Tolley said.
The group also want a "public register".
"I don't think that the current administration even publishes the list of lobbyists who don't have to go through security."
Tolley acknowledged you "can't be a politician whether you're at the local or the central level, without being lobbied".
"The minute you walk out the door, someone's lobbying you for something that they need, or they think that the country needs.
"So you are used to people constantly talking to you about what they think is the right thing to do when you look around Parliament."
She said they wanted a "clear indication from the lobbying professions" they are regulated, there are "codes of conduct" and that "we know who they are."
They're also calling for more frequent releases of minister's diaries so the public can see who they're meeting with.
"I think the public would be surprised at the breadth of people that ministers actually meet with, but the perception is that they're captured by particular groups."
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark, former Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, Moana Tuwhare (Te Tumu Whakahaere, Te Rūnanga-ā-iwi o Ngāpuhi) and former Cabinet Minister Anne Tolley will speak at the campaign launch this evening.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith reiterated the government was "actively considering the best way forward on lobbying."
That work began under then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, following an RNZ investigation.
After RNZ's 2023 probe into lobbying, then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins asked Brownlee's predecessor, Adrian Rurawhe, to remove the swipe cards that gave about 80 lobbyists easy access to Parliament.
At the time, National's deputy leader Nicola Willis backed the swipe card ban and said there should be a "transparent, publicly accountable register of who's doing the lobbying and who they're lobbying for". She also called for a 12 month stand-down period for ministers going into lobbying after leaving Parliament.
The Justice Ministry's political lobbying project's last update was from June 2024.
The Greens Co-leader Marama Davidson said in response to the campaign "we have to get big money out of politics - more money shouldn't mean more influence."
"Action to improve transparency in political donations is too important to sweep under the carpet. Just recently a report come out which found that New Zealand's "road lobby" uses the same tactics as the tobacco industry to obstruct transport policies that are good for people's health - like walking and cycling."
She explained the Green Party wanted to see strengthened accountability through reforming the Official Information Act. The party also wanted greater transparency of political lobbying, including through a lobbyist register and code of conduct - echoing the call of the Level the Playing Field campaign.
"The Government needs to make these changes now, to ensure everyone has equal access to our democracy in Aotearoa."
"From healthcare and education, to protecting the environment for future generations, it's crucial that our democracy represents the diversity of Aotearoa - not the vested interests of a select few. Our communities deserve to be set up for the future, not set up to fail."
ACT, NZ First, Labour and Te Pāti Māori have also been approached for comment.
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