Transparency push singles out right-wing donors while unions remain in the shadows

Summarised by Centrist

A Newsroom analysis has called for disclosure of donors to third-party election campaigns. 

Newsroom directed most of its suspicion towards conservative organisations and wealthy centre-right supporters while giving comparatively little scrutiny to unions operating under the same rules.

New Zealand has 25 registered third-party promoters, each permitted to spend up to $424,000 on election advertising without publicly identifying the sources of that money.

Newsroom named the Taxpayers’ Union and Reality Check Radio as examples on the right, while referring more generally to “various trade unions” on the left.

“Typically, the unions have benefited from large numbers of smaller donations; conservative lobbyists are thought to be funded by fewer, bigger donors,” the article said. It did not provide evidence for that distinction or examine who funds union campaigning.

The analysis argued that conservative donors may expect favourable policy in return. It pointed to property developers and real-estate businesses that donated to National, ACT or NZ First, alongside government decisions such as restoring mortgage-interest deductibility.

“But is it a coincidence that so many property developers and estate agents are so committed to our democracy as to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars?” author Jonathan Milne asked. “I would say, no.”

Milne did not establish an agreement between any donor and political party or show that a particular policy had been purchased.

The analysis also raised the possibility that businessman Harry Mowbray could secretly fund Reality Check Radio’s campaigning. No evidence was presented that he had done so. Mowbray said the broadcaster had sought $300,000 from him, but he declined.

“I don’t have bloody $300,000,” he said. “This is already costing me more than I want to bloody spend.”

Mowbray nevertheless defended anonymous donations, saying wealthy people he consulted considered privacy important if they were to contribute.

Read more at Newsroom

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