KEY POINTS:
Sir Robert Jones has written to NZ First seeking an explanation of what happened to donations totalling $175,000 he has made to the party since its inception.
The multimillionaire property investor gave $25,000 to NZ First just before the 2005 election which was not disclosed in donation returns.
Political parties are required under the law to declare all donations greater than $10,000 but NZ First has not listed any donations of that size since 2004.
Sir Robert said NZ First leader Winston Peters asked him for money on a night out and he "begrudgingly" did so.
He said the cheque was written out to the Spencer Trust, which the Dominion Post said was administered by Mr Peters' brother, Whangarei lawyer Wayne Peters.
The Electoral Commission says it has no record of a donation from Sir Robert or the Spencer Trust.
The donation puts further pressure on Winston Peters to account for donations to the party after revelations Owen Glenn gave $100,000 which was used for his legal costs, and claims in the Dominion Post that the Vela family and its businesses reportedly gave $150,000 over four years. The paper said party sources said not all of the sum had reached party accounts.
Unlike the Vela donations, Sir Robert's donation was in one payment, making it more likely to be subject to the disclosure rules than those from the Vela family.
Sir Robert said he had also made previous donations to NZ First totalling $150,000, which were made out directly to the party.
He earlier told National Radio he would be concerned if they had not been used for party purposes and had written to former party president, MP Dail Jones.
"I said we're not worried about the $25,000 - that's not a lot - I'm worried about the other $150,000 he took off me in the early days. If that's never been used by the party I think it's a bit rich and so I'll be interested to see what Dail has to say."
The $100,000 donation from Owen Glenn - used for Mr Peters' legal costs in an electoral petition against National's Bob Clarkson in 2005 - had also not been disclosed. Mr Peters has argued it was not a donation to the party or himself and he had not known about it until last week.
Sir Robert said he gave $50,000 to NZ First at the start-up of the party in 1993 and Mr Peters later "hit me up a few more times".
Yesterday, Wayne Peters said client confidentiality meant he could not confirm the existence of the Spencer Trust or whether he administered it.
He said he would make an exception if anyone made an allegation that was untrue.
He said he did not have "the slightest concern" with Sir Robert on whether his donation had been used for party purposes.
* The law then: Under electoral law which applied at the time, party secretaries could face up to one year's imprisonment or a fine of up to $20,000 for knowingly filing a false return. If it was unknowingly done, they faced fines of up to $20,000 unless they could prove they did not intend to provide false details and had taken all reasonable steps to ensure it was accurate.
However, a prosecution had to be started within six months of the return being filed, and party secretaries were only required to keep information to verify the return for this period.
PETERS' DONATIONS
1 Owen Glenn donation of $100,000 in 2006: The donation was sought by Mr Peters' lawyer Brian Henry to pay Mr Peters' legal costs in his unsuccessful electoral petition against Tauranga MP Bob Clarkson.
Mr Peters had repeatedly denied receiving a donation from Mr Glenn, who had openly sought to be made New Zealand's honorary consul in Monaco, where he was based. Mr Peters said he had not known of the donation until last week when Mr Henry told him of it after the Herald printed an email from Mr Glenn to his public relations adviser revealing he had made a donation.
The Speaker is considering whether to refer it to the privileges committee and Prime Minister Helen Clark has said other authorities also have the power to investigate. Mr Peters says he has not broken the law or parliamentary rules.
2 Donations reportedly totalling $150,000 over four years from the Vela family, high flyers in fishing and the thoroughbred industry.
The Dominion Post revealed the donations were made in sums under $10,000 through a number of different personal and business accounts of the Vela family. It said the donations were made from 1999 to 2003, but former party sources claimed that amount had not been banked in party accounts. Mr Peters has threatened legal action against the paper.
3 A $25,000 donation from Robert Jones before the 2005 election. The cheque was made out to the Spencer Trust, but the Electoral Commission did not receive a return. Sir Robert said he had also previously donated $150,000 to NZ First and had sought assurance it was used for party purposes.
NZ FIRST'S LIST
What NZ First has declared in donations over $10,000 since 1996:
1996: Two donations over $10,000 (Peter McCardle, $10,353.32 and former party vice-president Charles Sturt, $12,500). Also several donations less than $10,000, including from corporates Independent Fisheries, Talleys Fisheries, Shorts Transport and Tamatea Fisheries. Also $8000 from the Whakaue Trust.
1997-2001: No donations over $10,000.
2002: Westpac Trust, $10,000. Gold Times Sports, $15,000.
2003: Contact Energy, $10,000.
2004: Contact Energy: $10,000.
2005-2007: No donations over $10,000.
