Office of the Auditor-General, New Zealand

We have published information about a new performance audit looking at how two councils are planning to manage flood risks from rivers, lakes, and streams. Regional councils and a small number of city and district councils are responsible for protecting their communities from flooding, erosion, and other hazards posed by rivers, streams, and their catchments. To do this, councils plan and fund infrastructure (such as stop banks) and use other measures under their control (such as land use planning). Our work will look at how two councils, Waikato Regional Council and Tasman District Council, agree on the levels of flood protection each will provide, and how well they are planning to achieve those levels using flood protection infrastructure. Our work will provide Parliament, the public, and the two councils with an independent view on how well the councils understand flood risks, and how well they are planning to reduce those risks. We expect our work to be useful for other councils planning and implementing flood protection measures in their areas. You can read more and give your feedback about this work here: https://lnkd.in/gJb3xu_X Photo acknowledgement: Waikato Regional Council

We’ve been preparing over 60 detailed briefings for Scrutiny Week, 👉https://lnkd.in/gKkXBazD which begins on Monday 2 December in Parliament. This is the first annual-review-focused Scrutiny Week under new Standing Orders. Parliament has scheduled Scrutiny Weeks to give select committees more time to engage in scrutiny of the public sector and to focus on the issues that matter. We provide advice to the select committees to assist them with their scrutiny. With the change in Standing Orders last year, new provisions are in place allowing more time for scrutiny on issues that matter. These changes were unanimously adopted by the House. You can watch the select committees in action live: this page lists them all 👉 https://lnkd.in/gKkXBazD

Maintaining the high quality of our financial and performance audits is critical to us, as it is to other public audit offices around the world. Last week we were pleased to welcome Tracey Bremner and Nathan Callaway from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) to peer review two of our performance audits. Having this independent external review of our work by highly skilled practitioners is a valuable part of our quality management system. This helps to preserve the trust that Parliament and the public sector puts in us to monitor public sector spending and performance, in a way that meets the latest professional and accounting standards. It is also a valuable opportunity for us and our counterparts in Australia to share experiences from our work, and to reflect and learn from examples of good practice. And this is a reciprocal arrangement. So every two years senior auditors in our Sector Performance team visit the ANAO to peer review two of its performance audits as part of the ANAO’s quality assurance programme. Pictured (from left to right): Matthew Williams, Nathan Callaway (ANAO), Karen Wong, Leanne Arker, Tracey Bremner (ANAO) and David Press in the Wellington office.

In the Pacific, climate change is one of the most pressing issues we face.   Led by national audit institutions from around the world, ClimateScanner is an initiative to independently assess how governments around the world are responding to climate change.   Some preliminary ClimateScanner results, including results from the Pacific, were presented at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan. Read the key findings summarised by INTOSAI WGEA below 👇   As Secretary-General of PASAI, I am extremely pleased that our region is well represented in the ClimateScanner results. I thank SAI heads and the audit teams for their dedication to this work.   We found doing the New Zealand ClimateScanner assessment a very useful exercise, and we will consider the results to help us to identify areas for future work. I’m sure this is the case for others. – John Ryan, New Zealand Auditor-General and Secretary-General of PASAI   Read our ClimateScanner assessment for NZ (and a summary): https://lnkd.in/gDY_87FQ And you can review the ClimateScanner report for another PASAI member, Guam, here: https://lnkd.in/eiih_UBz

In the Pacific, climate change is one of the most pressing issues we face.   Led by national audit institutions from around the world, ClimateScanner is an initiative to independently assess how governments around the world are responding to climate change.   Some preliminary ClimateScanner results, including results from the Pacific, were presented at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan. Read the key findings summarised by INTOSAI WGEA below 👇   As Secretary-General of PASAI, I am extremely pleased that our region is well represented in the ClimateScanner results. I thank SAI heads and the audit teams for their dedication to this work.   We found doing the New Zealand ClimateScanner assessment a very useful exercise, and we will consider the results to help us to identify areas for future work. I’m sure this is the case for others. – John Ryan, New Zealand Auditor-General and Secretary-General of PASAI   Read our ClimateScanner assessment for NZ (and a summary): https://lnkd.in/gDY_87FQ And you can review the ClimateScanner report for another PASAI member, Guam, here: https://lnkd.in/eiih_UBz

As we look ahead to publishing the second edition of our integrity framework, the Office's Principal Policy Advisor Sarah McGray reflects on the work we have done to revise the framework and integrate Māori. He pou tokomanawa: Integrity that people can see, feel, and experience. Read her blog 👉 https://perspectives.https://https://lnkd.in/gGgE6hKi

Dive into our latest audit of the Government's financial statements. We’ve found the statements fairly present the government’s financial performance and position. Independent auditing supports Parliament, the public and the international community to have confidence in the integrity of our public finance system. Discover more in the full report 👉 https://lnkd.in/gRCD26Cg

Although New Zealand’s public sector is frequently ranked as one of the least corrupt in the world, we can’t take this for granted. Through our Office’s work supporting strong public sector integrity practices, we aim to foster a culture that prioritises transparency and fraud prevention. As Fraud Awareness Week is here and International Anti-Corruption Day is around the corner, it was great timing for us to hear from the Rose Rehm (Manager Investigations and Prosecutions – Serious Fraud Office) Brian Dickey Ngāti Maahanga (Barrister, former Crown Solicitor) at our recent forum for audit and risk committee chairpersons. Read more about our regular forums on our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/eXChaaXu

We’re hiring! Kaitohutohu Matua, Ngā Āheinga me ngā Hononga Māori | Principal Advisor, Māori Capability and Engagement Are you passionate about making a meaningful impact in the public sector? This is your chance to join a unique, employee-focused organisation dedicated to positive change. As our Principal Advisor, Māori Capability and Engagement, you’ll play a role in providing intellectual guidance, expert cultural advice, and support across the Office to help increase the impact of our mahi through effective engagement with Māori. Ready to make a difference? Apply today 👉 https://lnkd.in/g4T-9GkY

Our recent report "Immigration New Zealand: Managing how it makes decisions about skilled residence visas" looks at a strategically important part of the immigration system. Having well-managed and effective visa systems can give countries a competitive edge in the global market for skills. Our work found that Immigration New Zealand has a strong focus on managing the quality of its decision-making and is working to improve the experience of applicants. However, Immigration New Zealand needs more specific information about the skilled residence visa to understand how applicants are moving through its decision-making process. A clearer focus on this type of visa would help Immigration New Zealand to know whether its processes are working effectively, and what improvements to them it could make. It would also give Immigration New Zealand the information it needs to report effectively on how well this part of the immigration system is working. The Auditor-General’s five recommendations will support Immigration New Zealand in making improvements to the skilled residence visa system. Read RNZ’s coverage of this report: https://lnkd.in/gXqh5VP7 Listen to an interview with audit lead Lucy Mouland on the Mike Hosking Breakfast show: https://lnkd.in/gsvRWb_X Read our report, a summary, and our five recommendations: https://lnkd.in/gRkp8c-i