National funds 'from overseas'

Winston Peters has accused National of accepting campaign donations from foreigners whose aim was to get their hands on New Zealand public utilities under a National-led government.

The New Zealand First leader made his allegations at the party conference in Rotorua yesterday and promised that he would say a lot more about it in the next 12 months.

It appears to be the sequel to a threat Mr Peters made in Parliament before he left for Apec in South Korea, in which he told National MPs to go easy on the six MPs he was leaving behind or he would reveal some details of their campaign financing.

National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee said Mr Peters was making serious allegations and challenged him to lay what he had on the table.

"It is just another Winston Peters subterfuge designed to keep him in the headlines."

Mr Peters accused National of pretending to be a centrist party and "purloining" NZ First policies.

"There are a stack of people abroad all lined up, all having paid money to National's coffers, just waiting to get their hands on this country's public utilities - about which you will hear much more as the next 12 months unfolds."

He said it was "all designed for a small minimalist investment" though it had meant millions to National "to gain access to all sorts of utilities which we thought the people should own".