Who owns New Zealand?

Right now in Aotearoa New Zealand, we're anticipating the release of draft legislation on beneficial ownership. This issue is especially important for us because, while we have large numbers of trusts, we do not require a trust register. Thus, there is no transparency regarding the owners’ assets and business dealings. We need strong legislation to open up this black box and help understand who owns what in Aotearoa.

Andres Knobel is the Lead Researcher on Beneficial Ownership at the international Tax Justice Network. Andres brings a global perspective to this issue, including the relationship between tax avoidance and beneficial ownership. He will comment on what makes good practice in this area, give examples from around the world, and relate them to the NZ situation.

Andres completed his Master’s degree in Law and Economics at Di Tella University, focusing on tax law and public policy. His work focuses on beneficial ownership, offshore trusts and the automatic exchange of banking information.