The Green Party has received its largest ever donation and says it knows nothing about the donor.
The party declared a surprise donation of $283,835 last week from the estate of Nelson woman Elizabeth Riddoch.
The party’s general manager Sarah Helm said she believed it was the largest one-off donation in the Greens’ 25-year history.
Elizabeth was not a party member and did not appear to have any formal connection to the Greens.
“She wasn’t particularly known to the party at all – we haven’t been able to determine any link,” Sarah says.
“She must have just been a quiet, latent supporter of ours.”
It is also the largest donation to any political party since 2014 when former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig gave $355,000 to his party.
Sarah says most of the Green Party’s fundraising was based on small, regular payments.
“We do have a quite comprehensive fundraising programme but a large bequest like this is extremely unusual for us.
“We tend to get a lot of small and medium-sized donations from people who perhaps have some disposable income but aren’t the very wealthy in society.”
The Greens raised $408,000 last year, of which $237,000 came from its own MPs under the party’s tithing system.
That total was more than Labour, who raised just $279,134.
All donations of more than $15,000 have to be publicly disclosed in party’s annual returns, while those of more than $30,000 must be disclosed within 10 working days of receipt.
– Story by Isaac Davison/NZ Herald.
