Trading in Influence in New Zealand

This thesis investigates Trading in Influence in the Aotearoa New Zealand context and examines how potentially corrupt behaviours have been normalised in New Zealand. The thesis draws on the long history of corruption studies, in particular the dynamic tension between approaches that look at illegal corrupt acts, and broader approaches of ‘legal' corruption, which is viewed as an endemic and systematic issue. From this literature, the thesis focuses on the definition of Trading in Influence Johnston (2005) describes, with reference to the relevant clauses in The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), although not using the convention’s definition directly. The thesis utilises two key theoretical frameworks: Johnson’s (2005) Influence Markets framework, and Ashford and Anand’s (2003) Normalisation framework that has until now only been applied to organisational corruption studies. The empirical component of the thesis consists of two interlinked sets of data. First, two paradigmatic case studies are examined: the Jami-Lee Ross donations scandal and the New Zealand First Foundation donations scandal. The events are thematically analysed against the Trading in Influence framework, alongside a narrative of media coverage and discourse related to the cases. Second, a series of interviews with individuals involved with government relations and the political system are analysed thematically with particular attention paid to the language and rationales used, as well as the specific behaviours discussed by participants. These two data sets are triangulated to the literature, with three key findings:(1) Trading in Influence is a nascent problem in New Zealand; (2) Trading in Influence has been normalised in a number of key ways, including appeals to legality and the casualisation of influential relationships; (3) the New Zealand experience can help us refine the Normalisation framework for future studies. The thesis concludes by contextualising the manifestation of the syndrome in Aotearoa New Zealand, pointing towards other aspects which may need to be controlled and researched. Thus, this thesis offers a contribution not only to studies on corruption in Aotearoa New Zealand, but also a theoretical contribution to the causes of Trading in Influence, and the Normalisation of legal corrupt behaviour.