NZ First funding decisions should be audited

The New Zealand National Party

All funding decisions made by NZ First Ministers should be reviewed in light of the New Zealand First Foundation’s alleged mishandling of party donations, National’s Finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“Shane Jones and Fletcher Tabuteau, as the Minister and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Regional Economic Development, are responsible for the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund, which doles out large sums of money to individuals and businesses.

“Now the Commission has said some donations to the NZ First Foundation weren’t properly transmitted or disclosed, and the SFO is investigating, we can’t carry on as if nothing has happened.

“New Zealanders need to be assured that NZ First Ministers have not made any decisions about taxpayer funding that unfairly favoured their donors.

“For the sake of clarity, Finance Minister Grant Robertson should audit all previous funding, legislative and regulatory decisions made by NZ First Ministers since 2017.

“All communications from NZ First Ministers regarding these decisions should also be swiftly released.

“Grant Robertson indicated at a Parliamentary Select Committee today that he intended to take the business as usual approach. This is not good enough.

“The Provincial Growth Fund has always suffered from a lack of transparency and perceived conflicts of interest, with certain regions and sectors heavily favoured over others.”

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