NZ First lines up seven lawyers over election spending

Winston Peters addresses the media yesterday. Picture / Mark Mitchell

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says his party will consult as many as seven lawyers as it seeks advice on Auditor-General Kevin Brady's conclusions about election spending.

Mr Brady yesterday reported NZ First wrongly spent $150,400 during its campaign last year but Mr Peters said he believed only "a few thousand" of that was valid.

Today Mr Peters told National Radio said the party accepted it had misspent some money but disagreed strongly that Mr Brady had given a clear warning on spending rules before the election.

"He specifically did not warn parties of what he was about to do, and I think he owed the parties that," Mr Peters said.

"I think on closer legal examination of what he has claimed to have been the case of us being forewarned will not be the case."

Mr Peters said NZ First would speak to six or seven lawyers.

He said the legal opinion Speaker Margaret Wilson had sought from Jack Hodder QC suggested the line Mr Brady had drawn three months before the election was arbitrary.

Mr Peters said that demonstrated that "already you've got a significant difference of opinion".

He could not say how long the legal consultation would take.

The party would pay the money back if legal advice found the process was correct.

Mr Peters was unconcerned that NZ First was standing apart on the issue and did not think it would impact on support.

"I think there is a bigger principle than just the kind of thing we've seen in the political arena in these last few months which has been a maelstrom of criticism," he said.

"There is such a thing as a few facts on the table and that's been our view from the start."

Mr Peters said his party had always been scrupulous about getting approval from the Parliamentary Service, which pays the bills, before incurring any spending.

- NZPA