- But she was also talking about the country’s international reputation for being clean, green, safe and honest.
- But recent rankings measuring the country’s international influence, transparency and corruption have started to tell a different story.
- Between 2021 and 2023, New Zealand dropped ten places – from 16 to 26 – on the Global Soft Power Index.
Brand New Zealand
- According to the 2023 Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brand Index, New Zealand is the 14th most valuable country brand in the world, valued at close to half a trillion New Zealand dollars in 2022 by brand valuation and strategy company Brand Finance.
- Brand New Zealand is a precious commodity in its own right, which has taken many decades to build.
- Since 2014, New Zealand has dropped six points in its CPI score, three times more than Denmark or Finland.
Perceptions matter
several high-profile cases of COVID-19 subsidy fraud and tax evasion by businesses
the government’s insufficient response to a rise in scamming, as well as a lack of transparency around government spending on outside consultation contracts and infrastructure projects
and a heightened focus on appropriate spending of public funds during a cost-of-living crisis when most New Zealanders are doing it tough.
Trust in government
- But it must still be mindful of the fragility of general trust in public institutions and the government.
- Damaging that trust can have unintended consequences for our international reputation.
- Cutting public spending by between 6.5% and 7.5%, as government agencies have been told to do, may be viewed positively by business leaders.
- But it can also erode public trust in government.
Turning the trend around
- While it placed 14th in the latest Transparency International ranking (with a CPI score of 75), Australia has gained two points under the Albanese Labor government.
- State capture by vested interest groups is a form of public corruption and would likely significantly affect New Zealand’s declining CPI score.
Matevz (Matt) Raskovic does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.