National Party donations: Paula Bennett organises $1.8 million in funds from wealthy New Zealanders

The National Party will shortly declare millions of dollars of donations from some of the biggest names in New Zealand business.

The list of donors includes New Zealand's wealthiest man, Graeme Hart, as well as Murray Bolton, and Nick Mowbray, who each chipped in $250,000.

The donation drive is actually the work of one of the biggest names in the National Party, former deputy prime minister and former deputy leader of National, Paula Bennett, who has been rattling the tin for National over the past three weeks as a volunteer.

The donations are being collected over the next few days, and will then be declared to the Electoral Commission. Parties must declare anyone who donates $30,000 or more to a political party in a year within 10 working days.

The total sum of donations raised in this drive was $1.8 million, Bennett said.

Bennett said she had been "talking to a number of people who wanted to see National run a strong and effective campaign in 2023 and challenge the Government's thinking and direction".

Bennett said the donations were "so generous and healthy for politics".

"I'm obviously delighted they have given to the National Party.

"These New Zealanders have generously pledged to donate to the National Party because they care about democracy and want to see a clear contest of ideas in the election next year.

"Some tell me they're giving to other political parties as well."

Indeed, some have.

Act recently declared $850,000 of donations from high-wealth individuals as part of a $1m fundraising push, including donations from Hart and Mike Thorburn, who has also donated to National. Bennett managed to get more than twice as much out of Hart as Act, to whom he donated a comparatively miserly $100,000.

The donations come at a good time for National. The party has not declared any donations over $30,000 since Christopher Luxon became leader.

Act, the Greens, and NZ First have all declared large donations since then (the Greens' donations were tithes, from co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson).

Act's most recent large donation came from former leader of both Act and National, Don Brash, who has donated $39,530 to Act in the past 12 months.

Bennett said there was more fuel in the tank, and she would continue to fundraise.

"I'm not finished here.

"Political parties and their campaigns run on the goodwill of Kiwis support through donations and their time. So, I'm looking to help National raise further funds, with a combination of both large and small donations."

National Party president Peter Goodfellow said it was "fantastic" to have Bennett fundraising, stressing it was in a "volunteer capacity".

"These pledges are a real boost as we work hard to demonstrate to New Zealanders that National has the ideas, the people and the passion this country needs right now.

"We're lucky to have the support of tens of thousands of everyday Kiwis, members and supporters who contribute large and small amounts and every dollar will help our campaign to win in 2023."

Perhaps mindful of donations scandals that cast a pall over much of the last parliamentary term, Goodfellow stressed all the large donors were being "open and transparent", and the party wanted "to be upfront about this too, which is why we're proactively releasing this information."

Donated $250,000

Graeme Hart
Murray Bolton
Nick Mowbray

Donated $100,000

Trevor Farmer
Bayley family
Craig Heatley
Graeme Harrison
Gary Lane
Ben Gough
Jim Speedy

Donated $40,000-$50,000

Mark Wyborn
Mike Thorburn
Jeff Douglas
Lani Hagaman
Peter Vela
Hugh Jones
Chow family