New party's sights on rugby great

Former All Black and RWC ambassador Michael Jones. Photo / Natalie Slade

The Chinese businessman behind the failed bid for the Crafar dairy farms hopes to make a strong pitch for the Pacific Island vote at this year's election.

Jack Chen has already persuaded former All Black Michael Jones to head a new Pacific wing of his business organisation, the Chinese Business Roundtable Council.

And a political party Mr Chen is involved with is also believed to be keen to have Mr Jones as a candidate.

The New Citizen Party contested the Botany byelection, where its candidate came third. In April, it told the Herald it planned to field at least 10 "prominent" candidates in November and was hoping to get multi-cultural support.

If it succeeds in persuading Mr Jones to stand it will be a huge coup, given that the National Party has been trying for years to persuade the former rugby player, known as the Iceman, to commit himself to politics.

New Citizen hopes to win enough votes to become "kingmaker" after the election.

However, it will have to shake off concerns about the involvement of Mr Chen, who is believed to have moved to New Zealand the same year he stood down as head of a public company in China after irregularities were found in its financial records.

He has admitted being fined by Chinese authorities and banned from being a director for three years for "serious breaches" of securities regulations.

He subsequently helped to found Hong Kong-listed company Natural Dairy, whose application to buy 16 Crafar farms was rejected by the Government last year because not all those associated with the company were of "good character".

The Overseas Investment Office believes the company illegally purchased a further four Crafar farms - an issue which has not yet been resolved.

In February, the Herald revealed that Mr Chen and his wife paid $4 million last year to buy Hanover director Mark Hotchin's former home in the upmarket Auckland suburb of Parnell. And in April, it revealed that Hong Kong authorities were investigating Natural Dairy, alongside the Serious Fraud Office.

Mr Chen's Chinese newspaper, the United Chinese Press, has also been investigated by police after the Electoral Commission found it guilty of breaching the Electoral Act. The paper published an edition on the same day as the Botany byelection which carried editorials supporting the New Citizen Party. The timing was against the law.

Mr Chen has admitted being twice turned down for New Zealand citizenship, which he has blamed on his poor English.

Mr Jones was unable to be reached for comment. However, he is understood to have become friends with Mr Chen through his business activities.

Mr Jones and his wife own shares in Reef Group, a company that exports juice from the noni fruit from Samoa to China.

Last month, Mr Chen announced ambitious plans to develop a 200ha noni fruit plantation on the island of Savaii in Samoa, in partnership with Reef Group. His promise to create dozens of jobs on the island prompted the locals to give him the title of High Chief Tupa'ilelei of Sasina Village.

Mr Jones, whose try in the very first game of the Rugby World Cup has been immortalised in a statue planned for Eden Park, is also the local face of American burger chain Carl's Jr, which has big plans to expand in New Zealand.