National raises record $5 million in 2022, ten times Labour’s total

2022 was a record year for donations. Photo / Getty Images

The National Party raised $5,116,035.63 in donations in 2022, a figure believed to be a record.

It is even higher than recent election year tallies, when parties tend to raise the most money. In 2020, National raised $2.8m, in 2017 it raised $4.6m and in 2014 it raised $3.8m. In 2019, which like 2022, was the year before an election year, National raised just $1,221,867.

National blitzed rival Labour, which raised less than a tenth of this, declaring $419,364.66.

The figures come from the parties’ final annual returns, which were published by the Electoral Commission on Monday afternoon. They include almost all donations received by political parties but not named donations of less than $1500.

More than $2m of National’s donations have already been declared as they fell above the $30,000 threshold to be declared within ten working days.

The figure of total donations, and the names of donors who gave between $15,000 and $29,999.99, have not been made public until today.

National counted two MPs among its donors. Shane Reti gave $16,000 and Louise Upston donated $15,000.

Controversial bar-owner and former Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy also gave to the party, giving $19,100.

Party President Sylvia Wood said National was “determined to run a strong campaign to change the government and deliver for New Zealanders. We’re thrilled to have the support of so many New Zealanders whose contributions will help us do that”.

Labour’s General Secretary Rob Salmond said, “National gets a number of very large donations from the wealthiest New Zealanders”.

“Given National’s policies are so weighted to the interests of the very wealthy - from big tax breaks to allowing landlords to kick tenants out of their homes for no reason - perhaps this isn’t surprising. In contrast, Labour is proud to be supported by many thousands of donors - from all walks of life - giving whatever they can afford. I’m confident both parties will mount competitive election campaigns,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was Labour’s third-largest donor, giving $18,790.

After National, the next largest sum of donations was declared by Act, who raised $2,081,331.19. Most of these donations are already public knowledge as they were above the threshold for quick declaration.

Act leader David Seymour told the Herald he was “really grateful to people who have given Act money”, saying it had “13,000 donors who have given Act money in the last three years”.

The Greens declared $413,359 and Te Pāti Māori Party declared $37,765.44

NZ First posted $317,287.83, although one W. R. Peters of Whananaki, matching the credentials of the party’s leader, Winston Peters, has loaned the party $81,000

Max Rashbrooke of Victoria University’s Institute of Governance and Policy Studies said the sums of money raised were “absolutely enormous”.

“This has been the first time any party has broken through the $5m fundraising level”.

“It’s pretty extraordinary to see that outside of an election year. It’s an extraordinary sum of money,” he said.

Rashbrooke noticed that more than half of National’s tally came from donations of over $15,000, which he said was an indication that the “wealthy end of town” was backing the party.

Green Party justice spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman told the Herald the “huge disparity” in donatoins between even the two largest parties “should be of great concern”.

She said recent research had shown “that with big donations quite shockingly big level of access to politicians”.

The Greens have previously campaigned on introducing donation caps.