Regulation of Political Donations in Aotearoa New Zealand w/ Transparency International NZ's Executive Director Julie Haggie: 17th June, 2026

We’re well into the election year, with spats across the political aisle - and even within the government - on the up. Similarly rising are the political donations received by these parties. So far, the ACT party is leading the pack with over $1.35 million in donations exceeding $20,000, well above the National Party, which follows at just over $720,000.

However, concerns have continued to be raised at the lack of regulation and transparency for political donations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Transparency International New Zealand have called our laws around political donations some of the weakest  in the world, with the threshold for reporting donations far higher than many comparable OECD nations, and with no limiting cap on donations.

So, to learn more about the state of our regulation of political donations in NZ, producer Theo spoke to the Executive Director of Transparency International New Zealand, Julie Haggie.