KEY POINTS:
Plenty of charities would be happy to accept the $158,000 donation that the Starship Foundation rejected from New Zealand First as inappropriate and not "proper philanthropy".
New Zealand First will consider what to do with the money at a board meeting next month.
But several charities spoken to
by the Herald say they would gladly take the cash if Winston Peters wants to give it to them.
The Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand is one of as many as 30 charities understood to have gone as far as contacting the political party to say that as long as there are no legal issues, they would be happy to take the money.
"As far as I'm concerned, if they are going to give it to a charity, I would rather it was mine," Cystic Fibrosis Association chief executive Kate Russell said.
The money is at the centre of a political storm after Mr Peters delivered it - in the form of an oversized cheque - to the Starship Foundation last month. He then walked into Parliament and announced the donation while pictures of him making it were given to media.
The money is the amount that Auditor-General Kevin Brady found New Zealand First spent unlawfully in the 2005 election. Other political parties found to have also spent unlawfully have opted to pay the money back to the Parliamentary Service because they view it as money owed to taxpayers.
Auckland SPCA chief executive Bob Kerridge said as long as it was legal, he would take the money.
"Animals are nice and neutral, they're not political - they don't even vote," he said.
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand chief executive Geoff Barry also said his initial view would be to accept the money if it was offered.
Several charities spoken to yesterday said that they did not receive any government funding and that was part of the reason the money would be welcomed.
But some charities have carefully considered the matter since the Starship incident and decided they will not accept New Zealand First's money if it is offered.
A Cancer Society official said the charity believed the money should be paid back to taxpayers.. Child Cancer Foundation chief executive Jim Barclay said the donation had a political connotation and he felt the charity's board would prefer it wasn't accepted.
A Red Cross spokeswoman said the organisation was "very much about being neutral and impartial".
WHO WANTS THE $158,000 DONATION?
YES PLEASE
Cystic Fibrosis Association, Auckland SPCA, Surf Lifesaving New Zealand
NO THANKS
Cancer Society, Child Cancer Foundation, New Zealand Red Cross
