Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest can arise through a relationship, an activity, or strong personal views. A conflict of interest can be financial or non-financial. 

A conflict of interest can be:

• actual: where the conflict already exists
• potential: where the conflict is about to happen, or could happen
• perceived: where other people might reasonably think that a person has been compromised.

In some communities, people that are politically active may be more likely to be involved with community projects.

What does this mean for organisations that apply to the Community Education Fund?

We will expect you to do the following: 

1. Identify any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest in the project for which you are applying for funding.

For the Community Education Fund, a potential conflict of interest may exist if a person that is actively involved in the governance, management, or delivery of your organisation or your project is:

• a participant in the election, for example standing as a candidate
• a close relative of a candidate, for example a spouse, civil union partner, de facto partner, child, or parent
• a person actively involved with a political party, for example in the campaign, as an office holder or as a donor.

2. Manage the conflict of interest in your Community Education Fund project

Conflicts of interest can be managed by:

• restricting the person’s further involvement in the matter
• engaging an independent third party to oversee all or part of the process and verify its integrity
• removing the person with the conflict from working on the project
• the person giving up the private interest that created the conflict
• the person resigning from their position with the organisation – this should only be considered if the conflict of interest can’t be resolved in any other workable way.

3. Let the Electoral Commission know about a potential, actual, or perceived conflict of interest during the Community Education Fund application process

• Where a potential conflict of interest is identified, the applicant records it in the Eligibility Questionnaire.
• Each applicant will confirm that they are able to manage conflicts of interest in their Eligibility Questionnaire. If applicants cannot confirm that they can manage any perceived, potential, or actual conflicts of interest, then they should not apply to the Community Education Fund.
• The Electoral Commission may seek further information or a discussion with the applicant about the conflict.
• The Electoral Commission will undertake a further assessment of the potential conflict of interest, and ways it can be addressed or mitigated.
• Information about conflicts of interest and their management will be part of the regular assessment and decision-making process for the application to the Community Education Fund.

If your application is successful, and a conflict of interest develops while you are delivering your project, you must let the Electoral Commission know as soon as possible.

Please email cef@elections.govt.nz with any questions about conflicts of interest.