In the final week of council elections, I spoke with The Integrity Institute Director Bryce Edwards about the need for more transparency & vigilance around lobbyists & candidates in local democracies.

It followed this detailed comment piece from Bryce.

We talked about:

* the lack of scrutiny in local government;

* the influence of lobbying;

* the need for greater transparency and integrity in political processes;

* the connections between local politicians and corporate lobbyists; and,

* the risks of foreign influence.

We also talked about the need to:

* introduce a lobbyist register, including at local Government level;

* probably to be managed by an Electoral Commission, which should also manage local elections; and,

* especially as councils start using Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) more intensively.

Chapters

00:00 - The State of Local Democracy in New Zealand

07:02 - The Role of Lobbyists in Local Politics

10:47 - Foreign Influence and Local Governance

12:57 - Calls for Integrity and Transparency Overhaul

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Ka kite ano

Bernard

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