Launching soon, Openly is a world-leading education and accreditation platform that will support and champion businesses committed to integrity in government engagement.
Founder Nick Booth developed Openly because he believes integrity in corporate-government interaction is better for planet, people and business.
“Meaningful policy-making and achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and New Zealand’s carbon neutral 2050 target will only be possible with open, ethical, and accountable corporate-government dialogue.”
Recognising the interplay with corporate sustainability agendas, the World Economic Forum puts it like this; ‘Behind each breach of a company’s environmental or social commitments lies ineffective corporate governance, be it inadequate anti-corruption practices, perverse incentive structures, contradictory lobbying activity, or ill-equipped leadership.’[1]
“The importance of integrity in private-public interactions is increasingly reflected by the likes of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment[2], the OECD[3] and, closer to home, the Independent Electoral Review[4].
“Engaging government is the bedrock of democracy – but it should be undertaken ethically, openly and accountably. And those with greater resources have a greater responsibility.
“Reflecting recent scandals, New Zealanders are also starting to take notice - with investors and consumers indicating that they will reward good conduct in private-public engagement.
“There’s a big opportunity for corporations that act with integrity in this space.
“Hence Openly – good conduct deserves to be recognised and have value ascribed to it.
“Openly will help directors and senior leaders manage risk and drive sustainable growth.
“Openly Education has been designed to provide corporate leaders skills to safeguard and grow their businesses whilst contributing to sustainable policy-making.
“Openly Accreditation will see applicants respond to questions on matters such as advocacy positions, political donations, lobbyists, government contracts and foreign government ownership. Upon review by Openly experts, responses will be made publicly available on the Openly web page.”
With support from an advisory board comprising sustainability, business and policy-making leaders, Booth will launch Openly in New Zealand in early 2024.
[1] https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Defining_the_G_in_ESG_2022.pdf
[2] https://www.unpri.org/download?ac=15716
[3] https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0379
[4] https://electoralreview.govt.nz/assets/PDF/IER-Interim-Report-Executive-Summary.pdf
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