NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Election 2020: Advance NZ receives year's second-biggest political donation

Jason Walls
By Jason Walls
Political Editor – Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·
24 Aug, 2020 06:37 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Billy Te Kahika jnr leads the NZ Public Party which merged with Advance NZ last month. Photo / Tania Whyte

Billy Te Kahika jnr leads the NZ Public Party which merged with Advance NZ last month. Photo / Tania Whyte

Vote2020

Newly registered Advance NZ has received this year's second-largest political donation – $65,600 - from a newly set up company under its co-leader's name.

The donation is second only in size to a $100,000 Act Party donation, from Dame Jenny Gibbs, in May.

It's the latest in a string of election-year party donations, including hundreds of thousands of dollars to Labour, National, Act and the Greens.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Advance NZ – the party co-led by former National MP Jami-Lee Ross – effectively merged with the Public Party, led by Billy Te Kahika, last month.

Te Kahika has a number of controversial views, including that Covid-19 was a bioweapon designed to be used on civilians around the world.

The $65,600 donation, published by the Electoral Commission on Monday, shows the sum was given to the Advance NZ party by the Public Party, through a company called Rubicon Crossing 2020.

Companies Office records show the company was set up on May 25 this year and registered by Michael Stace – the Public Party's campaign director.

Stace owns 50 per cent of Rubicon Crossing, along with William (Billy) Te Kahika.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The name of this company is an apparent reference to the phrase "to cross the Rubicon" – meaning to take a step committing to a course of action where there is no turning back.

It was coined in relation to Julius Caesar taking his army across the Rubicon River in 49 BC, which ultimately led to the rise of his dictatorial rule of Rome.

According to New Zealand's donation rules, any donation exceeding $30,000 has to be declared to the commission.

Electoral Commission records show Rubicon donated to Advance NZ four times in August: Close to $40,000 on the 17th, $3500 on the 14th, $22,500 on the 13th and $70 on the 10th.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

Snipers on court rooftop: Victims set to face mosque gunman

23 Aug 10:32 PM
New Zealand|crime

'A loner with a lot of money': A look into mosque gunman's past

23 Aug 10:39 PM
New Zealand|politics

Nine new Covid cases today, 8 linked to Auckland cluster

24 Aug 02:32 AM
New Zealand|politics

Watch: NZ alert levels extended until Sunday

24 Aug 02:45 AM

So far this year, Labour has been given $150,000 in donations over $30,000.

Some $40,000 of this sum was from Rail and Maritime Transport Union, $30,000 was from Dinesh Khadka, another $30,000 came from Harvey Daniel and $50,000 from Mark Todd.

Of more than $30,000 in donations declared, National got $100,000 from two separate $50,000 donations, from Christopher and Banks Ltd and from the DHC trust.

The Greens received $233,000 worth of donations over $30,000 so far this year – $60,000 of which was donated by their own MPs.

The Greens are a whisker behind Act, which has received $235,000 in declared donations so far this year.

Donors include Graeme Edwards, Christopher Reeve and Murray Chandler.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Electoral Commission's records show the New Zealand First party has not received a single donation over $30,000 so far this year.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
New ZealandUpdated

An epic, wild 218 days: 'We're walking to Bluff' - meet the family of six who hiked the length of NZ

23 May 06:16 PM
Premium
New Zealand

The $40m difference - why Napier council has $110m budget for $70m project

23 May 06:00 PM
New Zealand

Big things, small place: Mount Maunganui drone-maker wins top NZ hi-tech award

23 May 06:00 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
An epic, wild 218 days: 'We're walking to Bluff' - meet the family of six who hiked the length of NZ

An epic, wild 218 days: 'We're walking to Bluff' - meet the family of six who hiked the length of NZ

23 May 06:16 PM

An inspiring, astonishing adventure, including being mistaken for missing Marokopa family.

Premium
The $40m difference - why Napier council has $110m budget for $70m project

The $40m difference - why Napier council has $110m budget for $70m project

23 May 06:00 PM
Big things, small place: Mount Maunganui drone-maker wins top NZ hi-tech award

Big things, small place: Mount Maunganui drone-maker wins top NZ hi-tech award

23 May 06:00 PM
How Rotorua's air pollution transformation defied expectations

How Rotorua's air pollution transformation defied expectations

23 May 06:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP