22/07/2026
Aotearoa New Zealand has some of the worst lobbying in the world. And the waters have only gotten murkier since National-NZ First-ACT took office.
You think the US is bad?
In 2011 the United States lobbying spend was 30 BILLION+ with about 13,000 lobbyists working in Washington. We know this because the US requires systematic disclosure of lobbying, and failure to comply can lead to jail sentences.
We don't even know how bad it is in New Zealand. But we know it's bad, because sometimes things slip through the net of silence - like when it was recently exposed that Uber had drafted law changes, handed it to ACT, and then this Government coalition passed Ubers "wishlist" into NZ law with only minor changes.*
What exactly is lobbying? Lobbying is when a group advocates for or against legislation (laws) or regulations, often seeking to influence political parties or individuals. "Lobbying" as an idea is not always bad. Groups, including workers and their unions, should be speaking to members of parliament. But transparency, checks and balances are required to ensure that the mega-rich can't 'buy' democracy.
We have no idea how big the NZ lobbying industry is, how much is being spent, on who or what. It is unregulated. A Government staffer can have access to sensitive internal information today and walk into a lobbying job tomorrow.
"There are no rules to follow, no laws to break and no watchdog to bark. New Zealand is the wild west of lobbying." - Guy Espiner, RNZ
* July 2025, 'Minister adopts Uber’s wish-list when drafting employment law changes, rejects official advice', lawnews.nz
