[political finance] Snouts in the Trough

The Labour Party was the biggest spender in last year’s general election. In fact, controversially, Labour went 20% over the spending limit by using taxpayers’ money to print and distribute campaign propaganda. While most people think of National as being the party with all the wealth, for most recent elections Labour has had more money and has been the recipient of significant funding from business and the state. In the three-month campaign period leading up to last year’s election, Labour spent, according to the Electoral Commission, $3.9m on advertising, compared to National’s $3.0m. Labour is the most well-resourced party in New Zealand, and it has been for some time now.