NZ First members felt ‘exploited’ over donations

Members of New Zealand First complained their donations during the last election didn’t go where they were meant to and said they felt “exploited” by the party, according to leaked documents.

Internal emails, meeting notes and a formal complaint from within the party show frustration among some of its Auckland members in the aftermath of what they described as an “abysmal” 2017 campaign.

The Herald earlier reported the papers showed some were critical of party leader Winston Peters for planning to take legal action against National Party figures ahead of Government coalition negotiations.

The leak is a rare breach of secrecy in the party. It came two weeks ahead of NZ First’s annual conference and days after president Lester Gray resigned after refusing to sign the party’s 2019 financial documents because he had not been given enough information about donations and expenses.

The documents also include a laundry list of other complaints about the way the election campaign was run, including how money was used.

In a report titled “NZ First Concerns & Issues Regarding Election”, Helen Peterson — who was 20th on the party’s list in 2017 — said “members who paid huge amounts of money towards the campaign and [were] promised repayment did not receive any reimbursement”.

“Money allocated to support the campaign was not used for the purpose in which it was donated,” she alleged in a list of dozens of complaints.

“Members felt exploited as they financed the party’s activities with little recognition or reward.”

The report goes on to say complaints had been ignored and describes the party as “disorganised, dishonest, and hypocritical”.

It also laments the party’s selection process which meant no MPs in the House were representing Auckland.

“[It] leaves Auckland, who have the highest population, and where there are a third of the country’s total electorates, without a New Zealand First Member of Parliament representing them,” Peterson said.

The Herald earlier reported complaints the selection process was “sexist” with the top 18 members of the party’s list including only three women, and including people with membership of less than six months while long-serving members were pushed down.

Notes from a debriefing of the Auckland branch in November 2017 show members laid out a list of concerns about the party’s strategy and processes — including a lack of communication, clarity of policy and support for candidates.

A note of the general discussion at the debrief noted “many were deflated by the abysmal campaign, lack of policy information and delayed flyers”.

Comment has been requested from acting party president Jude Patterson. Asked for comment, a spokesman for Peters earlier said the Deputy Prime Minister had no comment and “party-related documents, if that is what this is, should be referred to the party for comment”.