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Source: New Zealand Inland Revenue Department – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Information release on Taxation Principles Reporting Act repeal
Following the repeal in December 2023 of the Taxation Principles Reporting Act, the following documents are being made available:
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Source: Controller and Auditor General
This webinar is intended for Tier 2 public sector leaders, particularly those who lead corporate service functions, chief financial officers, and integrity officers. At this interactive webinar we will share insights from our integrity-related work over the course of 2023. Our staff will present important findings from our recent performance audits, inquiries, and good practice guidance. They will point out opportunities to improve and share some helpful tips from our guidance.
Melanie Webb is our Assistant Auditor-General, Legal, Policy, and Inquiries. Her group provides legal advice and support across all aspects of the work of the Office of the Auditor-General and Audit New Zealand, and participates in other operational work of the Auditor-General (including, good practice guides, advice to Parliament, engagement with government on new laws, and input on government proposals and policies).
Leeanne McAviney is our Assistant Auditor-General, Sector Performance. Her group carries out performance audits under section 16 of the Public Audit Act 2001, undertakes research and special studies on matters of interest to, and about, the performance of the public sector, and is building the data and analytics capability of the Office to better understand the performance of the public sector and support the wider work of the Office.
Please email events@oag.parliament.nz to register and receive MS Team details.
Source: Controller and Auditor General
This webinar has been designed for chief executives of public entities. Our guest panel of international experts will share their insights on ethical leadership, decision-making in uncertain times, and the impact of the political system on public servants across the world. This is an opportunity to reflect on the context in which globally public servants are operating, the risks and challenges faced, and what that means for integrity.
Sue Robertson was the Head, Australian Public Service (APS) Integrity Taskforce, international law expert and former adviser to the United Nations. The APS Integrity Taskforce was established in February 2023. It examined culture, systems, and accountability, and how the relationships between each one shape human behaviour. It published its final report Louder than words: an APS integrity action plan in November 2023.
Paul ‘t Hart is a Professor of Public Administration at Utrecht University, and a member of the Scientific Council for Government Policy of The Netherlands. Paul’s research, teaching and consulting covers political and public sector leadership, policy evaluation, public accountability, and crisis management. Paul’s focus was on public servant leaders and the system level challenges they face, outdated structures of spending and accountability, and the impact of the political system on public servant leaders.
Tracey McIntosh, MNZM, Ngāi Tūhoe, is a Professor Indigenous Studies in Te Wānanga o Waipapa at the University of Auckland and Chief Science Advisor at Ministry of Social Development and a Commissioner of Te Kāhui Tātari Ture: Criminal Cases Review Commission. She was the former Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence. Tracey sits on a range of advisory groups and boards for government and community organisations. Tracey has a commitment to addressing issues that concern Māori and draws on a critical Indigenous studies framework.
The Auditor-General, John Ryan, will moderate this webinar.
Source: Controller and Auditor General
Attracting skilled migrants is a strategic priority for New Zealand in a globally competitive market for people with particular skills. Skilled migrants fill areas where skills are in short supply and are vital to keep New Zealand’s economy working well.
This system requires careful management. Migrants’ experience of the immigration system matters because it can be a factor in determining whether they connect to, and decide to settle in, New Zealand. People with the skills the economy needs for the longer term can be in high demand in many countries. At the same time, visa decision-making processes have to support New Zealand’s safety and security.
Balancing all these interests is easier if everyone understands how well the system is working. Migrants, their advisers, and employers need to be confident that visas are being processed fairly, speedily, and consistently. It is important for the public to be confident that the immigration system is being monitored effectively using reliable information.
We will focus on how effectively Immigration New Zealand is managing its decision-making process for applicants for skilled residence visas.
This will include how effectively Immigration New Zealand uses information internally to improve its performance and externally to show how the skilled residence visa system is working.
We will not be looking at the merits of any individual decisions.
We aim to highlight the strengths in Immigration New Zealand’s process for making decisions about skilled residence visas and, where appropriate, suggest where improvements can be made.
We anticipate that our work will influence more meaningful and useful reporting by Immigration New Zealand on its performance. This is critical to building and maintaining confidence in the immigration system and part of our wider work to influence the quality of performance reporting in the public sector.
This audit will result in a report to Parliament, which we will also publish on our website. We expect to complete this work in the second half of 2024.
Please use the feedback form on the right if you would like to speak to a staff member about this performance audit, make a suggestion, or ask a question.
Source: Controller and Auditor General
For media queries, please contact Mike Heine on 021 222 9708.
We strongly recommend that members of the media subscribe to our email service to receive announcements as soon as we make them.
We have high-resolution images available for the leadership team, in the About us/Our people section…
Source: Controller and Auditor General
What are we doing?
We’re supporting Integrity Day on February 16, 2024. We’re hosting two webinars – one for chief executives that features an international panel of speakers, and one for “tier 2” leaders in the public sector.
Why are we doing this?
One of our strategic priorities is to increase our impact with public organisations through supporting strong organisational integrity practices. To achieve this, we need to raise awareness of the importance of integrity in the public sector, for audiences to understand why it matters and to proactively create opportunities for conversations in public sector agencies about integrity issues.
The change we want to see by 2028 is that public sector leaders will:
Source: Controller and Auditor General
If you’re a senior public leader and would like to attend these sessions, please get in touch: anne.gilbert@tinz.org.nz
Organised by Transparency International New Zealand and often held at our offices, the Leaders Integrity Forums are hosted in-person and/or online to senior leaders in the public sector. The discussions are not made available publicly, to encourage free and frank sharing of challenges and solutions or approaches.
After each session, we usually publish a blog post that talks (at a high level) about the discussion and the useful aspects that arose.
During the first half of 2023, the topics for the in-person and online forums covered:
These topics were covered in 2022 and there’s a link if we wrote a blog post about the forum.
And these topics were covered in 2020 and 2021 (with a link if we wrote a blog post about it):
Source: Controller and Auditor General
Public access to information is a critical part of the democratic process, allowing people to contribute to scrutiny of government performance. The effectiveness of the relationship between the Legislature, its committees, and the Supreme Audit Institution plays a major role in the integrity of this scrutiny.
The Legislature’s deliberations on audit findings supports better public awareness of issues, improved transparency by public organisations, and more accountability from the government to the public.
This webinar will explore the value of strengthening collaborative efforts between Supreme Audit Institutions with their Legislature, Parliamentary Accounts Committee, and other legislative committees. Our panelists are:
To register, email international@oag.govt.nz by 20 February.
Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora
The 30-year-old has progressively lost his mobility because of Friedreich’s Ataxia – a rare condition that affects some of the body’s nerves.
“Friedreich’s Ataxia is different for everyone, but for me it’s all physical and once diagnosed, I soon learnt I wasn’t going to be able to do what I had planned in the future.
“Going from walking everywhere and having no issues moving round a home, to having to use a wheelchair and having difficulty getting through doorways was really challenging, says Dillon.
In 2016, Dillon relocated to Australia to gain new life experiences and to meet more people with the same condition.
“It was a great experience, but as my condition progressed, being independent became more difficult and I knew I needed to be closer to my family,” says Dillon.
After almost a year living in Australia, he came home to Mosgiel to live with his grandparents.
“I was grateful to have a place to stay, but because of where my condition had progressed to I found it difficult to get in and out of the house and do things for myself. So it wasn’t the best living situation.”
It was weighing on Dillon’s mind and he knew things had to change.
One of the personal touches Dillon has added to his Kainga Ora home
In 2018 Dillon was offered an accessible Kāinga Ora home in Dunedin, equipped with a ramp and level entry, wide door frames and hallways, a wet room and a kitchen he could navigate easily.
Now settled in his Kāinga Ora home, Dillon is thriving, his mental health has improved, his independence has been restored, and he has more time to devote to his passion for wheelchair sports.
A talented wheelchair rugby player and core member of the Otago ‘Wheelanders’ team, Dillon is focussed on growing the sport and, as president of ParaFed, inspiring the next generation of wheelchair athletes.
“One of the best things about living here is the location – I can attach my bike wheel to my chair and pedal down to the ParaFed office. That’s meant I can dedicate more time to increasing opportunities for young people to get involved in wheelchair sports across Otago.
“I’ve got a bus stop right outside my driveway to go to the supermarket or other places whenever I like too. It’s so good,” he says with a big grin.
As an avid gardener, Dillon has created an impressive garden, with a vegepod, in his sunny courtyard.
“With the current cost of living, I’m now growing my own veges to save myself a bit of money.
“If I’m stressed, I can feel my condition progressing, so having this home with all of its accessible features and a garden – it’s improved my wellbeing tenfold.”
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Safe Travel
If you are planning international travel at this time, please read our COVID-19 related travel advice here, alongside our destination specific travel advice below.
Do not travel to the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the areas near the administrative boundary lines. The threat of terrorism, crime and unexploded mines and ordnance makes travel to these areas extremely dangerous (level 4 of 4).
Previous incidents of terrorism have included improvised explosive devices and other acts of violence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. There is also a danger from unexploded landmines in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and mined areas may be unmarked. New Zealanders are advised not to stray off well-used roads and paths in those areas.
As these regions are not under the control of Georgian authorities, the New Zealand Government has a severely limited ability to provide assistance to New Zealand citizens.
Exercise increased caution elsewhere in Georgia (level 2 of 4).
Georgia
Civil unrest
Protests and demonstrations can occur in Georgia, particularly in the capital Tbilisi. New Zealanders in Georgia are advised to avoid all protests and demonstrations as they have the potential to escalate with little warning.
Terrorism
Terrorist attacks continue to occur globally and attacks in Georgia cannot be ruled out. Attacks could be indiscriminate and target areas frequented by foreigners.
New Zealanders in Georgia are advised to monitor the media for information on potential threats to safety and security and follow any instructions issued by the local authorities.
Crime
Petty crime occurs in Georgia, including pickpocketing and bag snatching. Violent crime against foreigners has been reported in the past, including robbery, mugging, home invasion, carjacking and sexual assault.
New Zealanders in Georgia are advised to stay alert to their surroundings and take steps to ensure their safety, including vigilance when travelling or walking after dark, and keeping your mobile phone charged and with you at all times. It is advisable to avoid wearing or displaying items that appear valuable, such as electronic devices, cameras and jewellery. Only use licenced or official marked taxis, avoid hailing taxis on the street, and agree to a price before starting the journey.
General travel advice
It is illegal under Georgian law to enter Georgia from Russia, via Abkhazia or South Ossetia. If your passport contains stamps from the separatist authorities, this may be considered an illegal entry by the Georgian authorities and could lead to imprisonment. You should not attempt to enter or leave Georgia via the land borders with Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, or North Ossetia. We advise against all travel to these areas.
Foreign nationals have been detained on arrival for possession of prescription or over-the-counter medicines. You should carry a doctor’s prescription if you intend to travel with medicine and declare the items on your customs declaration form. For more information, see the Government of Georgia’s website.
Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are severe and can include lengthy imprisonment or fines.
Photography of government buildings or military establishments can cause issues. If in doubt, don’t take a picture or ask permission.
New Zealanders travelling or living in Georgia should have comprehensive travel insurance that includes provision for medical evacuation by air.
New Zealanders in Georgia are encouraged to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Telephone +48 22 521 0500 Emergency Telephone 24/7 Consular emergency line: 0800 30 10 30 (within New Zealand) or +64 99 20 20 20 (outside of New Zealand) Email nzwsw@nzembassy.pl Web Site http://www.mfat.govt.nz/poland
See our regional advice for Central Asia