22 October 2019
Ciaren McGuire
Via Email: [FYI request #11285 email]
Dear Ciaren
Thank you for your request of 24 September 2019, for “costs and benefits of RBNZ's participation
in the ACAMS conference this October”.
The responses to your various questions are as below:
Please advise me of the staff attending (names not required):
How many staff are attending
Five staff from the RBNZ attended the FIU/ACAMS conference held in Wellington in 2019.
What the job title of each attendee is and how each staff member will be improved in their
specific job by attending as looking at the agenda for the conference and RBNZs very
limited role in the AML regime it is hard to see how more than a third of the conference
content offers real value to them
The attendees from RBNZ were one Adviser - Banking & AML/CFT Supervision and four
Senior Analyst - Banking & AML/CFT Supervision.
The RBNZ is one of three sector supervisors within New Zealand’s AML/CFT regime. The
Bank supervises compliance of all registered banks, all licensed non-bank deposit takers,
and those licensed insurers that offer investment products, with the AML/CFT Act 2009.
The Adviser presented at two of the sessions:
Evolution of Sector Supervisors and
Summary of themes from the Sector Supervisor workshops. The Sector Supervisor
Workshop provided RBNZ with an opportunity to communicate key AML/CFT information
to reporting entities, including recent updates to guidance. The workshop also provided
reporting entities with an opportunity to seek clarification from the RBNZ on any AML/CFT
matters. The workshop and conference allowed AML/CFT supervisors to further establish
and maintain good working relationships with AML/CFT personnel from different reporting
entities.
Where in NZ each attendee in each role is based and on what basis they were chosen to
attend
Four attendees are based in the RBNZ’s Wel ington Office, and one attendee is based in
the Auckland Office. All five AML/CFT supervisors were selected to attend to further
establish and maintain good working relationships with AML/CFT personnel from different
reporting entities.
How much tax payer money was paid for the attendance of each staff member
2 The Terrace, PO Box 2498, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone 64 4 472 2029 Online at
www.rbnz.govt.nz
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The RBNZ paid for two staff members to attend the conference (a total of $1520 was paid
for the conference tickets as one member received a 10% ACAMS member discount).
RBNZ received free admission for the Adviser who presented at the Conference plus two
others.
How much tax payer money will be spent on travel and accommodation and food/other
expenses for each staff member that these expenses applied to
Travel and accommodation were paid for the only supervisor based in Auckland, which
included return flights and two nights’ accommodation, with a total of $637.18 ($360
accommodation + $277.18 flights). Taxi fares and food expenses are paid back to the staff
member upon provision of original payment receipts in accordance with the RBNZ’s
expenses policy.
How much money if any RBNZ contributed to funding the conference
The RBNZ did not contribute to the funding of the conference.
For membership of ACAMS and other professional bodies please provide:
How many of your staff are members of ACAMS or other AML related professional bodies
in cases that RBNZ pays for their membership -What actual benefit they get in terms of
their ability to better do their jobs from these memberships
One staff member has an ACAMS membership. Membership fees are supported by the
RBNZ. The benefits from membership include regular training opportunities as well as the
opportunity for the team to keep abreast of updates and changes in the global AML/CFT
network of certified AML/CFT specialists.
More generally:
Please provide a detailed explanation of your AML group and its locations and structures
The AML/CFT Supervision team reports to the Manager Banking & AML/CFT Supervision
and consists of five members in total: One Adviser (Wellington based), four Senior
Analysts (three are Wellington based, one is Auckland based).
Please provide salary details for each role
This information is withheld under Section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act (OIA) for
privacy reasons, as the AML/CFT team is a small group of people and this information can
easily identify individuals.
Please provide a detailed explanation of what each role in the team actually entails in their
job
Adviser:
o Providing strong technical leadership, guidance, mentoring and support to the
Senior Analyst supervisors in the team, in respect of their work as AML/CFT
supervisors;
o Undertaking analysis and assessment of supervised entities’ compliance with
AML/CFT requirements;
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o Contributing to the ongoing development and implementation of the Reserve
Bank’s AML/CFT policy and supervisory framework;
o Developing and maintaining effective internal and external relationships and
representing the Bank in domestic and international fora
o Reporting to management within the Reserve Bank and to cross-Government
committees.
Senior Analysts:
o Undertaking analysis and assessment of reporting entities’ compliance with their
AML/CFT requirements through on-site visits and desk-based reviews.
o Developing and undertaking industry outreach
o Contributing to the development and implementation of the Reserve Bank’s
AML/CFT policy and supervisory framework.
Please provide details of all testing that is undertaken on potential recruits for the AML
group and the associated criteria that the Department looks for
All members of the AML/CFT supervision team have had criminal record and credit checks
undertaken prior to the commencement of their roles at the RBNZ. Relevant skills include
technical AML/CFT skills and experience in either the financial services industry, law
enforcement or supervision. Interpersonal skills such as relationship management and
influencing and persuasion skills are also relevant to the roles.
Please provide detailed demographic information as captured by the optional starter equal
opportunities voluntary information and any internal reviews. To include gender, ethnicity,
professional background and any other demographic captured. Please break this down by
role, team and geographic location and please provide this data longitudinally for the last
five years (snapshots at three or six monthly intervals will be acceptable)
This information is withheld under Section 9(2)(a) of the OIA for privacy reasons, as the
AML/CFT team is a small group of people and this information can easily identify
individuals.
Where information has been withheld under Section 9(2) of the OIA, the Reserve Bank has
considered the public interest in the release of this information and does not consider it outweighs
the need to protect it. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman
of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by Freephone 0800 802 602.
Please note that we intend to publish a copy of this response (with personal information removed)
on the Reserve Bank’s websit
e www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-publications/official-information-
requests. Responses to requests are published in order to improve public transparency and provide
an additional resource for anyone seeking information.
Yours sincerely
Serene Ambler
Senior Communications Adviser | Reserve Bank of New Zealand | Te Pūtea Matua
