April donations bonanza: Parties book nearly $300k in 12 days

Parties have booked big April donations. Photo / Getty Images

April is meant to be the cruellest month - well, not for our political parties who have declared nearly $300,000 of donations from wealthy donors in just 12 days.

Under current rules, parties that receive more than $20,000 in a year from a single person or entity must declare it within 10 days. This marks a change from the $30,000 declaration threshold that existed before this year.

Out in front is the National Party, which booked $142,000 from three donors: Graeme Thomas Harrison, Velocity Freight and Tracy Summerfield.

The Green Party came in second, with a $50,000 donation from gym entrepreneur Phillip Mills. It is the first time since September 2021 that the Greens have received a donation above the declaration threshold, from someone who was not a member of the party’s caucus. Those members are obliged under party rules to tithe part of their incomes to the party.

Labour also booked a donation, of $100,000 from Islay Little.

Act has not had April donations published, but the party declared nearly $1m at the end of March.

This puts Act in the lead when it comes to cumulative donations from large donors in 2023, with $975,000. National trails with $162,070, followed by Labour on $150,000 and NZ First on $116,162.

The Greens have declared only Mills’ donation, giving the party $50,000 – just ahead of fringe party DemocracyNZ, which has declared $20,000.

National and Act have been enjoying a donations windfall since the last election, with National booking $2.3 million in 2022 and Act $1.1m.

The smaller parties have used these figures to appeal to their own voters for support.

On Wednesday night Green Party co-leader James Shaw appealed to Green supporters in an email citing the large donations to Act and National, saying: “Their rich mates are looking after them – and you can bet they’ll look after their rich mates if they get into government.

“Unlike other parties, we refuse to rely on dodgy backroom deals with industry lobbyists. We don’t and won’t rely on big donations from the dirtiest polluters in return for letting them off the hook”.