April 16, 2014
Pay-for-PM party alarms greens
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says the Maori Party’s fundraising hakari with the prime minister was unethical.
The Maori Party is defending the event, where 15 people paid what was described as a minimum $5000 donation to hold one on one conversations with John Key over a four course dinner at Auckland’s exclusive Northern Club.
Ms Turei says all parties are in fundraising mode for September’s election, but copying the National Party's techniques could hurt the Maori Party’s standing among its voters.
"I’ve got a real problem with selling access to ministers, even the prime minister. I think when you do that what it says is only the rich get a chance to have dinner and sit around with ministers and prime ministers who have huge influence over the way the country is run and I don’t think it should be like that at all. I can understand it but I don’t like this particular way of fundraising. I think it is a bit unethical myself," she says.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH METIRIA TUREI CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MTcyNTE=
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