This press release was brought to you on behalf of National’s sponsors
Some action today on twitter shows how allowing large donations can raise questions about parties having conflicts of interest.
It started with this tweet which attracted my attention.
And a deeper dive into the background raises some interesting issues and a few questions that National should answer.
It starts with Developer Winton Land Ltd’s desire to develop some land in South Auckland. Winton’s directors include Chris Meehan and one Stephen Leonard Joyce who was appointed in June 2023.
The land appears to be zoned mixed rural and is in the middle of a rather large flood zone.
Development of the site will be somewhat difficult and normally you would expect care to be taken before allowing fairly intensive urbanisation of the area.
The developer has major plans for the land including the construction of 5,000 homes including three retirement villages, retail hubs, and green space. The proposal has some very positive aspects to it, being designed to be a 15 minute village and minimising the need to drive.
Winton requested the Government to allowing the application being dealt with under the Urban Development Act 2020 to speed up development. This request was declined.
It is then that things become interesting as shown by this timeline:
- October 2021 – application filed under the UDA.
- November 19, 2021 – application declined. The letter from Kainga Ora notes that “Winton’s proposal notes that it is a capable developer that is well-funded and does not require access to the funding and financing aspects of the Act, nor does it seek Kāinga Ora’s assistance with the completion of the development” in making its decision. Flooding issues and the fact that the area is in the flight path of the Ardmore Airport are factors raised.
- May 5, 2022 – Speargass Holdings Ltd donates $51,994.70 to National. Speargrass has one shareholder, Chris Meehan who is also a director of that company.
- October 20, 2022 – Winton files proceedings under the Commerce Act stating that the decision to decline its UDA application constitutes anti competitive conduct.
- That same day Chris Bishop issues a press release stating the following:
“The Government passed the Urban Development Act 2020 to enable developments like Sunfield, but now refuses to let the private sector use the powers under the Act. It’s no wonder Winton thinks this is anti-competitive behaviour, particularly when Kāinga Ora repeatedly outbids the private sector.“Ministers need to explain why they have said no to fast-tracking over 4000 new homes that would have created thousands of jobs. The excuse that Kāinga Ora is ‘too busy’ isn’t good enough. What exactly are the almost-2000 extra bureaucrats at the agency doing?”
- July 31, 2023 – Winton confirms that the quantum of damages it is seeking is $138.5 million.
If there was a change of Government I suspect the decision would be reversed rather quickly.
And it raises an important issue: Should the National Party be forced release a disclaimer every time it issues a message in support of one of its sponsors?