LOBBYING 101

HOW DECISIONS GET MADE AND WHY YOU SHOULD BE INVOLVED.

When most people hear “lobbying,” they picture backroom deals and corporate influence, and in New Zealand, that’s not far from the truth. Right now, there are no real rules. Powerful players can shape public policy without public input, and there’s zero transparency about who’s pulling the strings.

But lobbying isn’t just a tool for the wealthy. It’s a strategy the public can use too. Most people just don’t know how, and that’s where we come in.

Lobby for Good exists to flip the script. We help communities have a stronger voice, organise effectively, and demand decisions that serve people, not just profits.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Because nearly every major decision, from housing and transport to education, disability, and local rates, is shaped by influence. And right now, it’s the well-funded players who have the inside track. When access to decision-makers is limited to those with deep pockets, everyday people get shut out.

That’s why transparency isn’t optional, it’s essential.

At Lobby for Good, we level the playing field. We make sure well-researched, community-backed issues reach the people in power. So policy isn’t just shaped by those with the loudest or wealthiest voices, but by the people who actually live with the consequences.

“Main political parties are risk averse and not prepared to get offside with key lobbyists and since it all happens in secret, the public are completely unaware and oblivious to it”

Sue Kedgley (former lobbyist and MP)

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR LOBBY CAMPAIGNS

THE HIDDEN POWER OF LOBBYING
WHO’S REALLY SHAPING DECISIONS IN NEW ZEALAND?

Lobbying influences nearly every political decision, but it mostly happens in the shadows. There are no real rules. No register. No public accountability. Behind closed doors, powerful industries, PR firms, and legal teams shape policy while most Kiwis are left in the dark.

This graphic breaks it down:
At the top, you’ll see how Lobby for Good out in the open. We engage directly with communities, back up what we say with evidence, and put public interest at the centre.

Below that? The traditional model. A tangle of insider networks, corporate lobbyists, and well-funded players pulling strings behind the scenes, with no obligation to tell the public who they’re influencing or why.

We’re here to flip that. By exposing how the system really works, we’re making the invisible visible, and building a new model that puts power back where it belongs, with the people.

AT LOBBY FOR GOOD, WE DON’T JUST REACT, WE PLAY STRATEGICALLY. WE OPERATE ABOVE GROUND, SO YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON AND WHY IT MATTERS. USING OUR NETWORKS, WE IDENTIFY PRESSURE POINTS, EXPOSE RISKS OTHERS MISS, AND KEEP YOU INFORMED AS WE PUSH CAMPAIGNS FORWARD, TOGETHER.

JOIN US

“Unlike some other Western democracies, a lack of legislation in New Zealand requiring transparency around lobbying allows activities and tactics to be kept hidden from public scrutiny. Subsequent research for this project found that media frequently do not identify that some news making organisations are in reality lobby groups.”