Perceived corruption
Definition
The perceived level of corruption – defined as "the
abuse of public office for private gain" - among New Zealand politicians and public officials, on a scale of 0 (highly
corrupt) to 10 (highly clean). A country’s score in the Corruption Perceptions
Index is derived by Transparency International from a number of different
surveys of business people and country analysts.
Relevance
Corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law and threatens domestic
and international security. Corruption also has adverse social and economic
consequences for a country. The Corruption Perceptions Index is a good proxy
indicator of the values and norms that underpin public institutions.
Current level and trends
New Zealand's score in the Corruption Perceptions
Index 2004 was 9.6. Since the index was first developed in 1995, New Zealand has consistently scored well, with more than 9 out of a possible 10 in each
period reported.
International comparison
In the Corruption Perceptions Index 2004, New Zealand was ranked the second least corrupt nation in the OECD after Finland.
Since 1995, New Zealand has consistently ranked favourably in this index, being
among
the top four OECD nations perceived as highly clean.
New Zealand scored better in the perceived corruption index than Australia
(eighth, 8.8), the United Kingdom (10th, 8.6), Canada (11th, 8.5) and the United
States (15th, 7.5).
Figure CP4.1 Corruption Perceptions Index
scores (0=Highly corrupt, 10=Highly clean), OECD countries, 2004
Source: Transparency International (2004)
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