Former NZ First MP Shane Jones, who headed the Provincial Growth Fund while in Government, received a donation from a company who was later awarded PGF funding. Photo / Tania Whyte
Former NZ First MP Shane Jones, who headed the Provincial Growth Fund while in Government, received a donation from a company who was later awarded PGF funding. Photo / Tania Whyte
Former NZ First MP Shane Jones is rejecting any suggestion that a donation from a company to his campaign in 2019 had any influence over a Provincial Growth Fund grant to the same company a year later.
Aimex Group is listed as having made a $5000 donation to Jones about a year before it was announced an upgrade to the Nelson Slipway, a project Aimex was a partner in, would receive $9.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).
Jones, who headed the PGF while in Government in 2017-20, denies any suggestion the donation afforded Aimex influence over him and believes the information coming to light is in response to NZ First's return to the political sphere.
"It's ridiculous to suggest that every single donation that comes into the fundraising for me, I would be across and it would never have influenced any decision I had made," he told the Herald.
"I understand the Act Party has dredged this up and it's diaper politics, reflective of how scared they are that NZ First is coming back."
Act Party leader David Seymour has asked the Auditor-General to investigate, saying he believes Jones has breached the Cabinet manual if he did not recuse himself from the decision to approve the funding.
Aimex managing director Steve Sullivan has also denied any suggestion he was trying to buy favour from Jones, saying the application to the PGF was done to improve Nelson's infrastructure and the donation was made because he supported Jones' campaign.
A spokesperson for Port Nelson said they were not aware of the donation but would not comment further.
Jones' 2020 donations and expenses return document, published by the Electoral Commission, showed the NZ First minister received the $5000 donation on July 30, 2019 from Aimex Group, linked to a Nelson address.
Almost a year later, on July 24, Port Nelson released a statement expressing delight at the announcement by another former NZ First MP Fletcher Tabuteau, of $9.8m in PGF funding redevelopment of the Nelson Slipways.
Jones said he would have been one of four ministers considering recommendations for PGF funding.
"There's no other rationale [for the information coming to light] other than Act is hoping to hobble the return of NZ First," Jones said.
"In actual fact, I'm incredibly proud that the last Government was prepared to invest capital into the redevelopment of Nelson's port."
Former NZ First MP Shane Jones is speaking at the party's conference on Saturday afternoon. Photo / NZME
Seymour believed the Cabinet manual dictated Jones should have stepped away from this decision, given the prior donation.
"If you have an interest like this, even the perception of one, then the minister should recuse himself."
Seymour has objected to Government moves to drop the party donations threshold for public disclosure from $15,000 to $5000, saying in July, "As Act's main fundraiser for almost a decade, I can tell you that nobody receives undue influence for $15,000".
Seymour stood by his comments, saying the manual offered the necessary safeguards.
Electoral laws require candidates to disclose any donations they receive of more than $1500 - a much lower limit than the $15,000 for donations to political parties.
Jones said he did not recall meeting with representatives from Aimex or Port Nelson to discuss the donation or the project specifically.
Sullivan said he understood the PGF application was made prior to the donation being made in 2019.
While it was his "brainchild", Sullivan said the application was soon taken over by Port Nelson.
He claimed the redevelopment of the slipway didn't benefit him "one cent" and had in fact cost him more than a million dollars in the process.
However, Sullivan did acknowledge he and other local operators across industries benefited from the increase in business in the region.
Sullivan said his donation was based on his view Jones was "driving a good campaign", even though Sullivan felt the Northland man had been overly focused on his home region.
Asked whether he could understand how donating to a minister in charge of a fund he had applied to could be seen as trying to buy favour, Sullivan said that interpretation could only be reached by "f****** muppet media".
Asked directly, Sullivan confirmed he did not donate to Jones in the hopes his application would be approved as a result.
Sullivan was disappointed his efforts to boost the Nelson region had been twisted into such accusations.
He said the $9.8m funding had since been split - a third as a grant, a third as a loan and a third as equity.
Having been asked about the issue by media today, Jones referenced it while speaking at NZ First's annual conference in Christchurch this afternoon.
Port Nelson's 2020 statement said the funding was jointly submitted by Port Nelson and Aimex Services Group.
"The funding will go to the upgrade of the slipway facilities in Nelson to enable an increase in the number of vessels that can be slipped and ensure that slipping activities have improved environmental protection measures," the statement read.
"The new project will redevelop the Nelson Slipway area to create finger wharves which allow a new marine travel lift to operate, having a capacity of 400 tonnes.
"The facility will include a new environment treatment facility, and contaminated silts will be removed from the harbour basin adjacent to the slipways."
The total value of the project was $14.6m with Port Nelson contributing $3.3m and Aimex $1.5m, in addition to the PGF funding.
The statement acknowledged Aimex as a "partner" of Nelson Port in the project.
