Proactive release of information about management of ministerial conflicts of interest#
1 January 2026 - 30 June 2026#
1 The table below is a summary of certain actions taken by Ministers to manage actual and potential conflicts of interest during the period 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026. It includes transfers of responsibility to other Ministers and standing arrangements not to receive Cabinet papers. Other steps for managing conflicts of interest set out at paragraph 2.76 of the Cabinet Manual (such as declarations of interest, and ad hoc or short-term arrangements not to receive papers) are not included.
2 The Office of the Ombudsman has reviewed this summary and confirmed that it is consistent with the more detailed record held by the Cabinet Office.
3 The actions listed in the table are standing arrangements and may cover multiple instances when responsibility was exercised by another Minister or papers were not received. It is also possible that there have been no such instances because the particular issue has not arisen in practice.
4 The nature of each actual or potential conflict of interest is usually described using the following categories:
- Pecuniary: relating to a Minister’s personal financial interests such as assets, debts and gifts;
- Personal: relating to a Minister’s non-financial personal interests, such as family, whānau or close associates, former employment and business activities, and (in certain limited circumstances) current and past involvement with specific organisations;
- Portfolio: relating to different aspects of a Minister’s official responsibilities;
- Constituency: relating to a Minister’s role as a Member of Parliament.
5 The following actions commonly occur as a consequence of a transfer:
(1) officials report directly to the transferee in relation to the specified matter(s);
(2) any information relating to the specified matter(s) received by the transferor’s office is referred to the transferee;
(3) the transferor does not receive Cabinet papers or other official papers or reports on the specified matter(s); and
(4) if the specified matter(s) is/are discussed at Cabinet (or other relevant meetings), the transferor will declare his/her interest and withdraw from the meeting (or seek the agreement of colleagues to continue to take part).
6 These actions are referred to below as “action (1)”, “action (2)” etc.
7 A proactive release of information about the management of ministerial conflicts of interest (covering transfers of responsibility and arrangements not to receive papers) was agreed by the then Prime Minister and the former Chief Ombudsman in 2012. The release is intended to provide public assurance that systems are in place to manage conflicts of interest effectively, while protecting the privacy of individuals, the confidentiality of Cabinet discussions, and the confidentiality of correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister and other Ministers about actual or potential conflicts of interest.
8 Further information on the management of ministerial conflicts of interest is set out at paragraphs 2.59-2.83 of the Cabinet Manual 2023, available at https://www.dpmc.govt.nz and at https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-business-units/cabinet-office/ministers-and-their-portfolios/ministers-interests.
| Minister | Matter at issue | Nature of conflict | Action taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hon Meager | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Minister for the South Island, and in the Transport portfolio, and all matters relating to applications under the Fast-track Approvals Act involving Southern Infrastructure Limited. | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister for the South Island and his Transport responsibilities, for matters relating to applications by Southern Infrastructure Limited and associated companies under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, transferred to Hon Grigg on 29 January 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3) and (4) put in place. |
| Hon Hoggard | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Associate Minister of Agriculture and a pecuniary interest. | Pecuniary/personal | Responsibilities as Associate Minister for Agriculture for matters relating to wearable devices for cattle that use aversive training (including wider decisions about Codes of Animal Welfare, where the codes in part cover matters relating to devices for cattle that use aversive training), transferred to Hon Grigg on 18 February 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3), and (4) put in place. |
| Hon Bishop | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Minister for Infrastructure and Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, and a personal interest. | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister for Infrastructure for matters relating to the Wellington International Airport Southern Seawall Renewal Fast-track project transferred to Hon Willis on 26 February 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3), and (4) put in place. Responsibilities as Minister for RMA Reform for matters relating to the Wellington International Airport Southern Seawall Renewal Fast-track project transferred to Hon Simmonds on 26 February 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3), and (4) put in place. |
| Hon Simmonds | Potential conflict between responsibilities as a Minister and a pecuniary interest | Pecuniary | Responsibilities as Minister for the Environment for matters relating to farm-facing freshwater instruments had transferred to Hon McClay on 2 March 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3), and (4) put in place. Following the Cabinet re-shuffle on 7 April 2026, an arrangement was put in place where Hon Simmonds will not receive papers or participate in decisions relating to farm-facing freshwater instruments. |
| Hon Bishop | Potential conflict as Minister of Transport between Ministerial decisions regarding Wellington International Airport Ltd and a personal interest | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister of Transport for matters relating to aviation originally transferred to Hon Meager on 12 February 2025. Transfer amended (narrowed) on 17 March 2026, to exclude matters reported to or considered by the Ministerial Group monitoring the impact of the Middle East conflict, provided they do not directly concern or affect Wellington International Airport. Actions (1), (2), (3) and (4) put in place. |
| Hon Willis | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Minister of Finance and a personal interest. | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister of Finance for matters relating to the Government’s response to and implementation of the Telecommunications Regulatory Review transferred to Hon Bishop on 26 March 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3) and (4) put in place. |
| Hon Simpson | Potential conflict between Ministerial responsibilities and a personal interest. | Personal | Following the Cabinet re-shuffle on 7 April 2026, an arrangement was put in place where Hon Simpson will not receive papers or participate in decisions relating to the grocery sector. This replaced an earlier transfer to Hon Willis. |
| Hon Willis | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Minister of Finance and a personal interest. | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister of Finance for matters relating to outgoing guarantee decisions under sections 41E to 41I of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 transferred to Hon Bishop on 1 May 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3), (4) put in place (Hon Willis is able to receive papers that mention outgoing guarantee decisions as part of factual background/context). |
| Hon Potaka | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Minister of Conservation and Minister for Māori Development, and former role as negotiator for the Mōkai Pātea Waitangi Claims Trust. | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister of Conservation and Minister for Māori Development for Treaty settlement decisions relating to the Mōkai Pātea Waitangi Claims Trust transferred to Hon Meager on 1 May 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3) and (4) put in place. This replaced two earlier similar transfers to Hon Penk. |
| Hon Stanford | Potential conflict between responsibilities as Minister of Immigration and role as MP for East Coast Bays. | Constituency | Responsibilities as Minister of Immigration specifically affecting an individual constituent (or group of individual constituents) in the East Coast Bays electorate transferred to Hon Brewer on 8 May 2026 Actions (1) to (3) put in place. This replaced an earlier similar transfer to Hon Penk. |
| Hon Bishop | Any potential conflict with role as Attorney-General. | Any conflict | Hon Penk appointed as acting Attorney-General on 13 May 2026 for the purpose of exercising all law officer functions of the Attorney-General (including reporting to the House of Representatives on the consistency of any proposed legislation under s 7 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and advising on rule of law considerations) in relation to matters where Hon Bishop has a conflict of interest. |
| Hon Bishop | Potential conflict between role as Minister Responsible for RMA Reform regarding upcoming decisions and a personal interest. | Personal | Responsibilities as Minister Responsible for RMA Reform for any matters relating to any section 360J investigation under the Resource Management Act 1991, including making any regulations, concerning Christchurch Airport noise contours transferred to Hon Grigg on 22 June 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3) and (4) put in place. |
| Hon Potaka | Potential conflict between responsibilities as a Minister and personal interest, relating to the appointment of a chair to Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. | Personal | Responsibilities for matters relating to the upcoming appointment of a chair of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori transferred to Hon Jones on 29 June 2026. Actions (1), (2), (3) and (4) put in place. |