The transparency project that went dark: Inside the collapse of Bryce Edwards’ Integrity Institute

Funded by wealthy Christchurch philanthropists Grant and Marilyn Nelson, sources told The Post the institute had a $1 million budget for its first year.

But in October, The Post revealed that the Integrity Institute had been abruptly removed from the Charitable Trusts Register. At the time, neither Edwards nor the Nelsons would explain why. Victoria University also insisted it had no link to the watchdog.

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A year of promises that never materialised

From the outset, the institute was shaped by tension between Edwards – a prolific political commentator with a modest academic footprint – and the Nelsons, who made their fortune in building supplies.

The Nelsons have poured millions into political research at Victoria University and elsewhere and are known for setting stringent expectations around deliverables. Edwards, meanwhile, appeared to be struggling to match his public ambitions with timely output.

Several of his Nelson-funded projects, including the Democracy Project and the Political Integrity Index NZ (PIINZ), remain incomplete or only partially delivered. Documents and sources say frustrations over delays pre-dated the Integrity Institute.

The institute’s first year quickly became dominated by disputes over workload. The funders expected an aggressive schedule: 16 research reports and 32 related media pieces by late 2025.

Those targets appear to have been unrealistic, given the small staff and a lack of basic organisational infrastructure.

As the Nelsonsseemed to grow impatient, the only public output was Edwards’ opinion columns and a daily “news briefing” – essentially a compilation of links to media articles written by other people.

There was also a series of articles on news website Newsroom, funded by a grant from the Integrity Institute, which its authors described as a year-long project tracking and disclosing lobbying and influence.

By mid-September, the relationship appears to have deteriorated beyond repair. It’s understood that on September 19, and again on September 22, Grant Nelson told Edwards the institute would be wound up unless urgent changes – including a restructure and cost-cutting – were made.

Days later, the Nelsons changed tack and offered a last-minute proposal to continue funding a limited amount of work on a contract basis, effectively removing Edwards’ control.

Their deadline passed without agreement, and the Nelsons moved to strike the Integrity Institute off the Charitable Trusts Register.

By early October, the trust was de-registered. Under the Charitable Trusts Act, it no longer exists as a legal entity and cannot hold or spend funds.

Multiple sources say staff became distressed and confused as the situation worsened and ultimately called in the union E tū to assist with employment disputes and their exit. E tū declined to comment.

Questions for Victoria University

Throughout this period, Victoria University has insisted it had no connection to the Integrity Institute and has refused to answer questions about its work or sudden de-registration.

Yet Edwards remains a research fellow in the School of Business and Government, and the university continues to administer more than $800,000 in Nelson-funded grants for research projects he is involved with.

The Post has confirmed that at least one Institute researcher worked for months out of Edwards’ office in Rutherford House, using his staff security pass to access university facilities. Security cancelled the access after being tipped off.

According to the university’s own website, Edwards has not taught since February 2024.

In 2021, the Nelsons’ Gama Foundation granted $820,000 to Victoria University for two major political-integrity projects: Edwards’ Democracy Project, and PIINZ, led by Professor Karin Lasthuizen , assisted by Edwards.

Previously, the Nelsons endowed $10 million to the university’s Institute for Governance and Policy Studies (IGPS) for research into lobbying and political donations. That relationship later soured, contributing to IGPS’s closure during a cost-cutting restructure.

Both Democracy Project and PIINZ appear to have have struggled. Progress reports released under the Official Information Act show they are significantly behind schedule.

In July 2023, Edwards told The Post that the main research outputs – including a book – would be delivered by the end of 2024. The book remains unpublished, with Edwards saying in October it will appear in 2026, co-authored by a journalist.

A public “Web of Influence” database had been due in October 2023, and PIINZ was meant to launch before the 2023 election. Neither happened.

By late 2023, the university had placed PIINZ under legal review “to guard against defamation and reputational risk.” The index remains stalled.

The delays fuelled growing frustration from the Nelsons. In June this year, Grant Nelson wrote to the university warning that leaving the index in legal review “would defeat the whole purpose of the funding,” and noting that about $300,000 had already been spent.

“My employment was ended abruptly”

Last week, Edwards emailed 8,000 subscribers to his newsletter announcing he was reverting its name back to the Democracy Project. The platform had briefly been renamed to support “a different venture” – the Integrity Institute.

“All my research, advocacy and communications about New Zealand politics continues with the Democracy Project,” he wrote, adding that the project is “100% reliant on the funds from subscribers.” Edwards charges $5 per month.

The Post sent a series of questions to Edwards and Grant Nelson, which went unanswered. Nelson emailed to say: “The Integrity Institute was established this year and, like any new venture, it has teething problems to be worked through.

“These are all private matters that should be of no concern or interest to you or any other member of the public...It does appear that you are more interested in trying to take down anyone who writes about the unacceptable activities of vested interests rather than you better informing the public about how democracy is being undermined.”

Edwards did not respond at the time. But after further questions were sent this week, he issued a statement, also sent to his subscribers, saying: “My employment was ended abruptly and without any proper process. I had no involvement in, and no influence over, the decision to wind up the Institute or the dissolution of its charitable trust board. Any suggestion that I caused that outcome is false.

“I also reject any implication of improper conduct on my part. I carried out my role to the best of my ability and within the limits of the situation I was placed in.”

He said responding to specific questions would require “breaching legal obligations arising from my employment” and exposing “private and confidential matters relating to other employees and individuals.”

He added: “I stand by my conduct throughout my time at the Institute. I have acted honourably and as properly as the circumstances allowed...I’m as committed as ever to genuine transparency and integrity in our political life. ”

Nelson, in a further brief comment, said he would not discuss “private matters relating to individuals” because he did not want to affect anyone’s future prospects.

“These private issues are a distraction from the national affairs that should be of far greater concern to the public.”

Victoria University reiterated that it “does not currently, and has never, had any relationship or oversight of the Integrity Institute.”

A spokesperson said: “There has never been an agreement for the university to host staff from the institute, but one individual has been employed by both the university and the Integrity Institute this year. Alongside university policies and expectations about use of university spaces and resources, our security team actively monitors and works to address any misuse by members of staff or students.”

The Post has repeatedly sought internal correspondence, legal reviews, progress reports and funding communications relating to the Democracy Project, PIINZ and the Integrity Institute. The university has resisted releasing this information since October. A complaint is now before the Office of the Ombudsman.