Labour's closest ally is refusing to toe the line and support New Zealand First leader Winston Peters but will not vote to have him punished either.
Progressive leader Jim Anderton said he would abstain from today's vote on whether to support recommendations in yesterday's privileges committee report.
The
report found that Mr Peters knowingly provided false or misleading information about $100,000 donated by expatriate billionaire Owen Glenn and recommended that Mr Peters be censured.
It also recommended that the party be ordered to provide amended returns for 2006, 2007 and 2008 to the pecuniary interests registrar.
Mr Peters has maintained he did not know about the December 2005 gift so could not declare it but the majority of the committee did not believe that. Labour MPs and NZ First MP Dail Jones on the committee disagreed with the majority finding.
Mr Anderton, the sole member of his party in Parliament, is in coalition with the Government and holds ministerial roles.
"NZ First was clearly accepting donations at a time when it was attacking everyone else for taking money from big business. For that the party has some explaining to do to the voting public," Mr Anderton said.
He said the privileges process was flawed and that people on all sides had given views about the outcome.
"I don't believe anyone approached the hearings with an open mind and reached a decision after deliberating the evidence," he said.
"I challenge anyone to say the committee observed any of the standards we would expect from a genuine process of inquiry."
Mr Anderton said he was abstaining because voting on the censure would make no difference to New Zealand and was pointless.
- NZPA
