Dr Bryce Edwards: Democracy Briefing - Following the money in 2026

The Electoral Commission released the 2025 annual donation returns yesterday, and the topline figure is the kind of number that should make any New Zealander pause. Registered political parties together declared $14.7 million in donations across the 2025 calendar year. That’s up 40% on the previous year. It’s the biggest non-election-year haul on record under the new disclosure regime.

David Farrar: Te Pāti Māori playing the race card

TPM released:

Te Pāti Māori are calling for a by-election and the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) after the National Party’s donation botch.

Bryce Edwards: Govt review of political donations will make the problem worse

The ultra-wealthy have an outsized impact on New Zealand politics. This undue influence is partly enabled by donations of money to political parties and campaigns. And we’ve seen in the current electoral cycle that very large and unequal amounts of money are being made available to the parties.

For example, since the start of 2022, the known donations declared to National and Act have been about eight times higher than those to Labour and Greens. Of course, at other times, it’s been around the other way – with Labour and the Greens have recorded higher totals than National and Act.

Bryce Edwards: Why donations from public servants to politicians stink

Minister of Justice Kiri Allan is currently pushing through a programme of reform to the rules around political fundraising by politicians. And yet it turns out Allan herself has received large donations that raise questions about the integrity of the politician, the donor, and the Beehive systems that are meant to protect the democratic process.

On Friday 1News’ Benedict Collins revealed that in 2020 Kiri Allan received donations from Race Relations Conciliator Meng Foon to assist with her campaign to win the East Coast electorate. The donations were made up of $9185.04 in rent subsidies and $1500 in cash. Foon also donated the lesser amount of $1000 to unsuccessful National Party candidate Tania Tapsell.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is defending Foon’s donations, describing them as a “balanced approach” because he donated to both major parties. But a senior public servant giving money to politicians brings everyone into disrepute.

Point of Order: $236.5m to tackle NZ’s big challenges

Among them, reigniting ‘mauri’ and ‘engaging multisensory experiences’

A press statement which advises that $236.5 million has been bestowed on 71 projects in the latest Endeavour Fund allocations is headed Research projects set to tackle NZs biggest challenges.

The message is reinforced in the first sentence, which says money has been allocated to projects

“… that seek to address some of our biggest challenges such as climate change.”

Researchers working on two methane projects have been granted $999,999 each over three years.

Point of Order: Transparency under Ardern

Party submissions on donations are kept secret and Taxpayers’ Union is banned from LGNZ conference

Yet again we are being reminded that from the moment she took office in 2017, Jacinda Ardern made a promise she would not keep – she promised her government would be the most open and transparent New Zealand has seen.

In her first formal speech to Parliament she pledged:

Bob Jones: Funding political parties

The Government, panicking at the huge volume of cash reportedly flowing into the National Party’s coffers, have proposed dropping the amount at which individual donors must be named to a ridiculous $5,000. Presumably they believe this will deter some donors and they may well be right.

The underlying principle of political parties revealing who funds them is sound. Its purpose is to expose any link between a donor’s interests and government actions helpful to the donor. But to suggest that a $5,000 donation would influence a government’s action is plainly absurd.

If Labour had their way they would back government funding of political parties and ban private donations.