Due Diligence

Key steps for your due diligence process

What is due diligence for community organisations?

Due diligence is designed to identify potential risks facing your organisation, including foreign interference risks.

It is the process of gathering information about individuals or organisations before forming any connections, partnerships or engagement. However, not all risks may be identified through due diligence.

Many organisations already carry out steps like vetting and police checks, but due diligence can gather additional information from the public domain to better understand people and organisations.

How to approach it

You can use publicly available sources to gather information.

The goal isn’t to uncover every detail but to identify any obvious risks and ensure you’re comfortable moving forward.

By staying curious and cautious, your organisation can build stronger, safer relationships that benefit your organisation and community.

How to use it

While due diligence is an important part of minimising risk there will always be limitations to the information you can access.

Due diligence should be viewed as a tool to help you make more informed decisions, not as a guarantee against all risks.

If you encounter situations where you’re unsure or feel you lack the expertise, consider seeking external advice, whether from legal professionals, experts in nonprofit governance, or authorities.

The role of leadership

Due diligence is the process of gathering information about individuals or organisations before forming any connections, partnerships, or engagement.

To ensure this is effective, it’s important to clearly identify when, where and how due diligence should be applied within your organisation’s operations. Leadership plays a key role in understanding these needs.

Key things to remember

Reach out to trusted individuals who may have a relationship with the new individual or organisation to learn more.

Ask clear, direct questions when engaging with a new individual or organisation about their background, funding, or any potential conflicts. Transparent partners will be open to these conversations.

If something feels off or inconsistent, seek more information before moving forward. You can always say no if you feel uncomfortable.

How to do due diligence

Below are some key things to check when carrying out due diligence on individuals or organisations. It can be used as a checklist or a conversation guide. Depending on the situation, additional and more specific inquiries may also be needed.

When doing due diligence, remember: many people, especially from ethnic communities, naturally have legitimate overseas connections and networks outside of New Zealand. This doesn’t automatically mean there’s a risk of foreign interference.

This content is based on information from the Protective Security Guidance resources.

What to check for individuals

  • Verify full name, location, and professional background (use LinkedIn, personal websites, etc.)
  • What do their profiles or website tell you about career history, previous roles, and affiliations?
  • Identify past employers and current affiliations via background and reference checks.
  • Have they disclosed any partnerships with foreign groups or governments?
  • Do online searches for their name, nicknames, and any known associated companies, organisations, international affiliations or networks. Look for news articles, social media profiles, and any other relevant mentions.

  • What professional, community, or industry groups do they belong to?
  • Consider how these memberships might shape their reputation, extend their network, or influence their standing within relevant circles.

  • Take note of the types of followers and connections they engage with online.
  • What do their followers and interactions tell you about the strength and reach of their connections and influence within their community or sector?

  • What public statements, interviews, articles, or speeches are available from them? What do these show about their values, priorities, and approach?
  • How do they express their viewpoints, and what tone or style do they use in their communication?
  • What do their social media profiles (LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook etc) and website tell you about their interests, values, and affiliations?
  • How do they present themselves publicly? What topics or causes do they engage with?
  • Search for the person in news aggregators and databases like Google News. Look for any mention of them in articles, press releases or online media.

  • Reach out to organisations, contacts, or stakeholders who have experience working with them to learn more about them.
  • Are there any concerns raised by those who have collaborated with them in the past?
  • Do references suggest they maintain independence and integrity in their work?
  • Do an internet search to look up the individual’s name together with words such as "reviews," "complaints," or "scams."

  • For all internet searches, you could search The Wayback Machine. It lets you access earlier versions of a page, which can help verify information, track changes, or retrieve content that’s no longer available online.

What to check for organisations

  • Confirm their legal status (registered charity, company, non-profit, etc.).
  • Is the organisation registered with the Companies Office or Charities Services?
  • Has the organisation disclosed any partnerships with foreign groups or governments?
  • How is the organisation funded? Are any funding sources linked to foreign governments or entities?
  • Do they disclose their major donors and partners? How transparent are they about this?
  • Do online searches to identify any connected companies, organisations, international affiliations or networks. Look for news articles, social media profiles, and any other relevant mentions.

  • What professional, community, or industry groups is the organisation connected with?
  • Consider how these memberships might shape their reputation, extend their network, or influence their standing within relevant circles.

  • Take note of the types of followers and connections they engage with online.
  • What do their followers and interactions tell you about the strength and reach of their connections and influence within their community or sector?

  • What public statements, interviews, articles, or speeches are available from them? What do these show about their values, priorities, and approach?
  • How does the organisation present its viewpoints publicly, and what tone or style do they use in their communication?
  • Review the organisations social media and website for interests, values, and affiliations.
  • How is the organisation publicly represented? What issues or causes do they focus on?
  • Search for the organisation in news aggregators and databases like Google News. Look for any mention of them in articles, press releases or online media.

  • Reach out to organisations, contacts, or stakeholders who have experience working with them to learn more about them.
  • Are there any concerns raised by those who have collaborated with them in the past?
  • Do references suggest they maintain independence and integrity in their work?
  • Do an internet search to look up the organisation’s name together with words such as "reviews," "complaints," or "scams."

  • For all internet searches, you could search The Wayback Machine. It lets you access earlier versions of a page, which can help verify information, track changes, or retrieve content that’s no longer available online.

More information about due diligence

See Protective Security Guidance: Due Diligence Assessments - For Espionage and Foreign Interference Threats and Managing Inwards Visits.

It contains principles and more advice that can help strengthen organisations’ overall risk assessment processes.

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