Responding to emerging trends in detecting fraud and corruption
The Serious Fraud Office should include governance factors in its long-term planning.
The Serious Fraud Office is developing its Long-term Insights Briefing (LTIB), which looks ten years ahead at how fraud and corruption risks are likely to evolve and how detection methods may need to adapt.
The IoD has welcomed this work and contributed a submission highlighting that governance is a critical but, under-represented, part of the analysis. Boards set the tone for integrity, define risk appetite, and direct resources to the areas of highest risk. They also oversee assurance frameworks, whistleblowing systems, procurement risks, and the deployment of new detection technologies.
Our submission argues that these governance levers will determine whether detection succeeds in practice and that building director capability to address emerging challenges such as cyber risk and AI-enabled deception is essential. By embedding governance into the LTIB, the SFO can help strengthen detection across sectors and maintain trust in New Zealand’s institutions.