The National Party is hosting a fundraising dinner with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and seats at his table for the event can be purchased for $10,000. Photo / Pool
The National Party is hosting a fundraising dinner with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and seats at his table for the event can be purchased for $10,000. Photo / Pool
The National Party is offering the public a chance to sit next to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon over dinner at a cost of $10,000.
It’s led to criticism from one academic, labelling the event “cash for access”, but the party says it’s a form of fundraising used by many parties.
The “Mainland Dinner” will be hosted by party president Sylvia Wood at Christchurch’s Town Hall next month.
Tables for the dinner start at $5000, which the party calls the “silver” tier.
The “gold” tier will get you a table with either a Cabinet minister or Wood at a cost of $8000.
It includes Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Health Minister Simeon Brown, Education Minister Erica Stanford, Social Development Minister Louise Upston, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and outgoing Defence Minister Judith Collins.
Local MPs at the event include Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and Women’s Minister Nicola Grigg.
Newstalk ZB learned of the event from a Facebook post by National MP Maureen Pugh, who shared a copy of the invitation.
The post was swiftly deleted.
Democracy Project director Dr Bryce Edwards said fundraising events hosted by senior MPs are becoming increasingly normal but entry is generally a blanket fee.
“Whereas in this way, you’re actually getting a visual chart. A map of the power. You get to choose which table you sit at and which minister you get the ear of.
“This is very much selling access. If you’ve got enough money, you get closer to power.”
He said National and Labour have held events in the past with expensive tickets, but usually with a single tier.
One Labour fundraiser hosted by former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern charged thousands of dollars for a ticket, he said.
Edwards said there’s nothing illegal about the fundraiser but it deserves scrutiny.
On why Pugh deleted the post, Edwards suspected the party didn’t want the event advertised widely.
“My suspicion is this leaflet or advertisement was only meant to go to a select group of people that can afford to pay for it, not a general public invitation.”
Asked about the event, the Prime Minister’s office referred questions to the party’s media team.
A spokesperson said: “National is holding a campaign fundraising dinner with MPs in their capacity as leader and spokespeople. This is typical of fundraising undertaken by many political parties.”
Ethan Griffiths is a political reporter with Newstalk ZB, based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. He joined NZME as a print journalist in 2020, previously working as an Open Justice reporter in the Bay of Plenty and Wellington, and as a general reporter in Whanganui.
