What processes exist, if any, to ensure Ministers exercising powers under the Fast-track Approvals Act are insulated from actual or perceived political donor influence?

Answer

Donations to an individual Minister’s election campaign are considered and managed in accordance with the Cabinet Manual guidance on pecuniary interests. Donations to political parties are not generally treated as resulting in a pecuniary conflict of interest for individual Ministers belonging to the party. Further detail is available in the Audit Office’s report about managing conflicts of interest in the Fast-track Approvals process, available at: https://ao.parliament.nz/2025/fast-track-conflicts/summary.htm. The Cabinet Manual also provides clear guidance that Ministers should take care to avoid creating a perception that representatives or lobbyists from any one organisation or group enjoy an unfair advantage with the government.