NZ First Foundation: Horse breeders, business owners and New Zealand's richest among donors

Property developers, horse racing and fishing interests, business figures and people who regularly appear on New Zealand's rich-list have reportedly donated to the New Zealand First Foundation.

The foundation is under investigation from the Serious Fraud Office after the Electoral Commission found that money passed to the foundation should have been treated and disclosed as donations to the NZ First party.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, who is overseas at the moment, has repeatedly welcomed the SFO probe and said that neither the foundation nor the party have acted illegally.

Pressure has been mounting on Peters to explain the foundation's activities amid reports of discrepancies between the foundation's spending and the party's electoral returns.

The party has also faced questions about photographs of two journalists reporting on the foundation that were published on a website linked to Whale Oil, the blog at the centre of the 2014 book Dirty Politics.

Peters has said that no NZ First MP "sent any photos to any website".

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is also overseas at the moment, has rejected calls to stand Peters down while the foundation is under investigation.

Radio NZ has previously reported on donors to the foundation, including Graeme Hart, New Zealand's richest person estimated to be worth $10 billion, the Van Den Brink family, which owns Van Den Brink Poultry and are thought to be worth $110 million, and entities linked to Conrad Properties.

This morning Stuff published a full list of donors to the foundation up from April 2017 to April 2019, based on documents seen by Stuff.

They include:

• Talley's - $24,950

• Conrad Properties - $105,000

• Brendan and Jo Lindsay- $45,000

• Spencer family- $37,500

• Graeme Hart - $29,990; a company directed by his son-in-law Duncan Hawkesby also donated $14,995, which is just below the $15,000 threshold for public disclosure.

• Van Den Brink company - $14,000; Van Den Brink Management - $8000; Van Den Brink Poultry - $14,000

• John Bagnall - $10,000; Perune Trust (Director: J Bagnall) - $14,000; ETF Trust (Director: J Bagnall) - $13,500

• Windsor Park - Windsor Park Leasing - $15,000

• Schick, N S, Windsor Park - $5000

• J L Egan - $15,000

• Kent Baigent - $10,000; E B Trust (Director: K Baigent) $10,000; Glenti Trust (Director: K Baigent) - $10,000

• Superloo Sanitation - $5000

• B M Taylor (YTD) - $15,000

• Simoni, C A - $5000

• Chapman, J M - $5000

• Chittick, G J - Waikato Stud Trust - $5000

• Martelli McKegg - Jeffrey Scrimgeour - $12,500

The Spencer family is believed to be worth more than $1 billion, built on a pulp and paper factory.

Racing industry players in the list include horse breeders Joan Egan and Kent Baigent, and Gary Chittick and Brendan Lindsay.

Fishing and agriculture company Talley's Group, as well as donating to the foundation, has given $10,000 to NZ First MP Shane Jones for his 2017 election campaign.

Peters has repeatedly refused to comment on the foundation except to say that its activities complied with the law and that he had nothing to do with the foundation.

He has previously defended the right of donors to be anonymous, and said the party and the foundation were being unfairly targeted by the media.