Ardern sidesteps legality question

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has refused to say whether or not she has confidence that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has been acting within the law at all times.

National Party leader Simon Bridges in the House yesterday repeatedly asked Ardern if she had confidence that her Deputy Prime Minister — Peters — was acting within the law at all times.

Ardern would not directly answer that question. Instead, she said was only going to reply to questions that she, as the Prime Minister, had responsibility for.

Ardern and Peters, the leader of New Zealand First, continue to face pressure over the New Zealand First Foundation and allegations regarding the transparency of donations to it.

Peters remains adamant he and New Zealand First are in the clear, but Act MP David Seymour says Peters needs to step down as the Deputy Prime Minister while an investigation is conducted.

“This stinks to high heaven; if it was anyone else, he [Peters] would be the one attacking them.”

Bridges pressed Ardern a number of times, asking “if she has confidence that the Deputy Prime Minister has been acting within the law at all times”.

Ardern replied: “[Bridges] has been asking questions more broadly around issues of electoral law — as I say, I’m not the arbiter of that.”

She said it would be an “indictment on our democracy to have any other political party ever inquire into other political parties” and argued that she did not have responsibility for the National Party’s compliance, or noncompliance, with electoral laws.

“Nor do I have responsibility for any other political parties beyond my own,” Ardern told the House.

“It would be wrong to have me, as the leader of a political party, inquire into the practices of any other political party,” the Prime Minister said.

But she did say she has confidence in the Deputy Prime Minister.

Ardern said it was up to the Electoral Commission to look into such issues, which it is doing.

Peters has promised to work with the commission.

“A whole lot of people are making fake news, false allegations and we will prove that to you and the hundreds of thousands of voters out there,” he told reporters.

He said the NZ First Foundation was set up to represent and advocate “democratic institutions in this country” and did not fund New Zealand First in any way.

“It is not illegal. There is nothing secret about it.”