New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs has issued public formal warnings to 10 reporting entities for failing to complete required independent audits of their anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism programmes. The action marks the first time the department has issued multiple coordinated formal warnings for this type of breach and signals a stricter approach to non-compliance with AML and CFT audit obligations. The breaches were identified through the department's 2026 thematic review. Each entity failed on at least two occasions to undertake an independent audit of its AML and CFT programme and risk assessment, as required under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. The entities span several sectors, including six law firms, a payment provider, a real estate agency, an accounting service provider and a non-bank non-deposit taking lender.
Department of Internal Affairs2026-06-17
New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs issues 10 public AML warnings over repeated independent audit failures
New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs issued public formal warnings to 10 reporting entities for repeated failures to complete required independent AML and CFT audits. The cases were identified in its 2026 thematic review, and each entity had missed the audit requirement on at least two occasions. The action is the department's first coordinated set of formal warnings for this breach.