Corporate Governance is all about conveying the greatest benefits from responsible business practice whilst diminishing the potential negative impact to your business. To ensure we remain at the forefront of best practice and set a solid foundation for our growth and expansion, Debtworks business planning includes an annual review of our corporate governance practices.

Debtworks uses the following framework and guides to influence and strengthen how we implement best practice guidelines and policies, particularly in the areas of Corporate Governance and Internal Controls:

• Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 (US)
• SAS 70
• the New Zealand Securities Commission's report 'Corporate Governance in New Zealand Principles and Guidelines' (Securities Commission Principles and Guidelines)
• The NZ Law Society’s Conduct and client care rules.

Our corporate governance policy focuses on how we conduct ourselves with stakeholders including:

• Our people (employees, directors and shareholders)
• Our marketplace (our client’s, suppliers and industries)
• Our communities within which we operate
• The environment

This policy has seen us, amongst other things:

• Review how we perform, manage risks and report distinctly as a board and management team to stakeholders;
• Produce a code of business conduct and other performance policies for our staff;
• Clearly define our service delivery levels and standards we expect to deliver for clients.
• Support our community and industries through sponsorship; and
• Actively review how our business practices impact the environment.