In our latest Six Questions interview, Senior Performance Auditor Leanne Arker explains how the role of performance audit contributes to helping public organisations improve what they do.
2019
Building and maintaining trust – the role of audit and risk committees
Kristin Aitken from our Local Government team discusses how council audit and risk committees can help build and maintain trust with your community.
In our latest Six Questions interview, we meet Assistant Auditor-General Andrea Reeves, who leads our Local Government Group.
Here at the Office of the Auditor-General, our overall strategic outcome is about making sure that Parliament and New Zealanders have trust and confidence in the public sector. So it was a familiar topic at October’s Leaders Integrity Forum when the focus was about building and maintaining trust.
The Auditor-General has the power to inquire into public entities’ use of public resources. What exactly does that mean? In the first of a series of blogs about our inquiry work, Inquiries Manager David Lemmon explains…
During International Fraud Awareness Week we shared stories from our auditors about instances of alleged fraud they’ve come across while carrying out their work. We thought it we be useful to collect them all in one place.
This stage of the audit starts to feel a little exciting… Senior Performance Auditor Leanne Arker provides an update on our procurement functional leadership audit.
During te wiki o te reo Māori, a wero was laid down at the Leaders Integrity Forum…
Audit and risk committees: The value of differing views
The value of having an effective audit and risk committee – or should that be risk and assurance committee? Kristin Aitken from our Local Government team explains why councils should consider having an audit and risk committee.
It’s not uncommon to hear someone ask a visitor to our country “so what do you think of New Zealand?” Whether it’s born of politeness or is part of our DNA, as a country we have a keen interest in what others think of us.
As part of our procurement work programme, we’re inviting speakers to present at the Office about the lessons and challenges their organisations face when it comes to procurement. In August, the Office hosted a presentation from Raveen Jaduram, Chief Executive of Watercare.
Courage in a leader is important in a time of change, and the tone is set from the top… which means the intended and the unintended messages can be oh so important. Melanie Webb recaps the latest Leaders Integrity Forum.
Responding to a changing climate
Sector Manager Kristin Aitken from our Local Government team delves into some of the terms used by councils and experts in their efforts to address the effects of climate change. She also takes a look at what councils are already doing, and what they need to consider for their next long-term plans.
Slavery, bribery, fraud, corruption, environmental degradation, intentional discrimination: these aren’t usually top of mind when running a public sector tender. But how many public organisations can say whether or not their supply chains are consistent with their own ethical standards’? Martin Richardson from Audit New Zealand’s Specialist Audit and Assurance Services team tackles some challenging issues.
Being explicit about ethical dilemmas at the planning stage and throughout a procurement process can help you prepare to tackle them if and when they arise. Martin Richardson from Audit New Zealand’s Specialist Audit and Assurance Services team explores some ways to approach these dilemmas.
In today’s fast-paced and changing world, we can’t do our best work without access to a wide range of views, knowledge, and experiences. So how does the public service make sure it gets that diversity? Melanie Webb recaps the latest Leaders Integrity Forum.
No? It’s okay – no one else is entirely sure either.
At the March 2019 Leaders Integrity Forum, we were reminded how important it is to never lose sight of the person, family, business, iwi, or community behind the data points you’re working with. Assistant Auditor-General Melanie Webb recaps what was discussed...
When you can’t value the priceless
We’ve previously looked at the benefits of recognising heritage assets in financial statements. But what happens when you can’t confidently assign a dollar value to an asset? Lincoln Butler from our Accounting and Auditing Policy Team walks us through some options.
Although our Office is primarily focused on the accountability of New Zealand’s public organisations, we are also part of a global community of practice. Sector Manager Sarah Markley recaps some highlights of the past few months.