NZ First refers leak of papers to police

NZ First leader Winston Peters says a “disgruntled source” is behind a series of leaks and a serious data breach, and is referring them to police and the Privacy Commissioner.

Peters, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, said on Twitter last night that the information sent to media yesterday was serious.

“This is a deliberate and malicious misappropriation of data by a disgruntled source,” Peters said.

“Despite its age this is a serious breach and as such is being reported to the police and the Privacy Commissioner.”

Another leak earlier yesterday included highly confidential lists of New Zealand First party members and a complaint alleging that local members were ignored in the selection of the 2017 Tamaki candidate.

The latest leak included NZ First’s list of party members in Auckland, including names and contact details.

The list included contact details for Peters and his partner, Jan Trotman.

Some political party members like to stay private because of the roles they hold, such as public servants.

The leaked material also included a mock-up of a hoarding, which the source said had been intended for the 2017 campaign but was vetoed “because of racist implications”.

It featured the words: “It’s about you, not them.”

It is the latest in a series of leaks that have included complaints about donations during the last election that allegedly didn’t go where they were meant to, and criticism of Peters for planning to take legal action against National Party figures ahead of Government coalition negotiations.

Also included in the documents is a February 2018 letter from Julie Carr, secretary of the Maungakiekie and Tamaki branches, to the party board.

Carr said the board had nominated a candidate to stand in Tamaki for the 2017 electorate without consulting the party’s active Tamaki members “in any way”.

“We would like the board to apologise to the Active Tamaki members for ignoring their potentiality for nominating a Tamaki candidate,” Carr’s letter says.

The leaks come in the lead-up to the party’s annual conference next weekend and Lester Gray’s resignation as party president after refusing to sign off the party’s 2019 financial documents.

Before his tweet, Peters told the Herald yesterday that he was not worried by the leaks “in any shape or form”. He brushed them off and said they would not dampen the spirits of the party as it headed to its annual conference.