The Ministry of Justice says a 'revolving door' between the Beehive and lobbying roles can result in the misuse of privileged information and unfair access.
The ministry is now working on options to regulate the lobbying industry.
In a briefing paper to Justice Minister Ginny Andersen in August justice officials say when there an imbalance in who gets access to decision makers - that can lead to a lack of trust in democratic process and erode social cohesion.
Journalist Guyon Espiner spoke to Susie Ferguson.
