Quarry connected to $55,000 donation to NZ First and Shane Jones, approached over fast-track

Minister Shane Jones has links to a company approached over the Fast-Track consenting bill. Photo / Michael Cunningham

One of the firms approached about the Government’s new Fast-Track consenting bill has a part-owner and director whose other company has donated $55,000 to the NZ First Party and MP Shane Jones.

AJR Finance donated $50,000 to NZ First and $5000 to Shane Jones at the last election. AJR Finance’s sole director is Andrew Ritchie, who owns the company along with Mark and Elizabeth Markovina.

Ritchie is a director of Kings Quarry and, along with the Markovinas, owns 50 per cent of the company. The other 50 per cent is owned by Alexander and Stan Semenoff. Stan Semenoff donated to Jones’ campaign in 2008 and is a distant relative of Jones.

Kings Quarry currently has an application to expand their quarry under Labour’s Covid-19 Fast Track legislation. No decision has been made yet. The Government has written to a list of firms that had expressed an interest in submitting projects to be fast-tracked notifying them of how the process will work.

If the firm applies to have a consent fast-tracked, under the current proposal, the project would potentially come before a group of three ministers, Chris Bishop, Simeon Brown, and Jones, who would have the ultimate say on whether the firm’s project would be granted fast-track consents.

The Herald asked Jones and Bishop how the Government would manage any potential or perceived conflicts raised by projects submitted by firms that have a connection to political donors.

Jones did not respond to questions.

Bishop, the lead minister on the fast-track legislation said; “[w]e’re aware that Ministerial conflicts of interest may arise in the course of the fast-track approvals process. Any conflicts that arise will be carefully managed in accordance with the Cabinet Manual guidance. No decisions have yet been made about the inclusion of specific projects”.

Applications are still open. No proposals have been decided on, and the bill creating the fast-track regime is still only at select committee.

The Herald contacted the Semenoff Group to speak to a spokesperson or Ritchie. The request was confirmed as received by the company and forwarded to the company’s directors, who did not respond to questions.

Labour’s Environment spokeswoman Rachel Brooking urged transparency and said all the projects that will eventually be included in the legislation should go to select committee first to allow the public to submit on them.

Then-Opposition MP Chris Bishop arguing Shane Jones should have been sacked during the Labour-NZ First coalition, over his links with Stan Semenoff, pictured. Photo / Facebook

Brooking criticised the ministerial decision making powers under this legislation.

“It is entirely unnecessary for Ministers to put themselves in this position of overriding a whole lot of existing legislation for what looks like pet projects,” she said.

Jones was criticised during the previous Government over his contacts with Semenoff.

NZTA was trying to revoke the operating license of a company for which Semenoff was managing director.

Jones raised the issue with the acting chief executive of Waka Kotahi at the time.

It later emerged Jones had introduced Semenoff to then-Transport Minister Phil Twyford as a potential candidate for the agency’s board.

One person who was not amused by this was then-opposition MP Chris Bishop, who posted to Facebook: “In any other government Jones would have been sacked. Utterly unacceptable behaviour”.

Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.