Police have referred the Māori Party to the Serious Fraud Office after it failed to declare more than $300,000 of donations to the Electoral Commission on time.
Māori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Any donation of over $30,000 must be declared within 10 working days of it being received.
Three donations above that threshold were made to the Māori Party between March and October last year, but were not declared to the commission until recently.
Former Māori Party co-leader John Tamihere donated a total of $158,000 dollars over 2020, Aotearoa Te Kahu donated $120,000 and the National Urban Māori Authority just under $50,000.
The Electoral Commission referred the matter to the police earlier this month and the police have now confirmed it's passed the case on to the SFO.
The National Party today received a warning for failing to declare a $35,000 donation in time.