Peters prepared to pay back election spending

Winston Peters

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has left the door open on his party paying back illegal election spending.

However, he said for the party to repay any of its taxpayer funding, Auditor-General Kevin Brady would have to lay out a clear and coherent legal argument in his final report.

Mr Brady's draft report, leaked to the media last month, has caused a political storm after it found seven of Parliament's eight political parties spent taxpayer funds illegally.

National and the Maori Party have already paid back some illegal spending and the Greens have also promised to do so, but Labour has resisted calls, claiming Mr Brady's ruling is inconsistent with his treatment of the 2002 election.

National claims Labour could owe more than $800,000, most of it from its $447,000 pledge card.

Mr Peters, who has criticised Mr Brady's draft findings, today said the party was open to paying back money if Mr Brady's arguments were consistent and logical.

"We have the capacity to pay, we will pay, but when we know what we're paying and why we are paying it," Mr Peters said on National Radio.

"I'm still waiting for someone to lay out the law and set out the facts from a legal point of view rather than to lead some hungry mob in the street calling for blood without any knowledge of the facts or the supporting information."

Mr Peters said his office had sought the approval of the Parliamentary Service, which administers parties' parliamentary funds, before embarking on spending.

His deputy, Peter Brown, has previously compared Mr Brady's draft findings as akin to a referee changing the rules of a game after the final whistle has blown.

Mr Peters said no final decision would be made until the party had considered Mr Brady's final report.

Labour, the Greens and United Future have all questioned the consistency of Mr Brady's findings -- especially after he shaved $46,000 of Act's potential bill and $30,000 off the Greens.

The Greens immediately said that if the $30,000 it spent on its publication Green Times was legal, then it could not see how its other spending was illegal.

National MPs have repeatedly called Labour corrupt for its refusal to commit to paying any money back.

Mr Peters said he would consider suing anyone who attempted to call NZ First corrupt.

- NZPA