Why do ministers who own property investments keep blocking housing reforms that would make homes more affordable? Why did a Cabinet minister with shares in Auckland Airport get to make decisions affecting that very company? Why are politicians’ spouses and relatives mysteriously winning lucrative government contracts? The answer is conflicts of interest – a cancer eating away at New Zealand’s democracy that ensures decisions are made to benefit the wealthy and well-connected rather than ordinary Kiwis like you. While you struggle with soaring living costs, politicians and their mates are feathering their own nests, using their positions to advance personal interests while pretending to serve the public. This isn’t some dry bureaucratic issue. Every time a minister puts their financial interests ahead of your needs, it costs you money. Every time a politician helps out their spouse’s consulting firm or their donor’s business, public money that should fix hospitals and schools flows into private pockets. Every time officials look the other way because of personal relationships, the system gets more rigged against ordinary New Zealanders. What Are Conflicts of Interest? A conflict of interest occurs when someone in a position of power has competing loyalties – between their public duty...