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New Zealand First MP Doug Woolerton has admitted he was "hugely embarrassed" by the Owen Glenn donation scandal and its fallout.
The Waikato Times reported the list MP made the comment last night at a candidates meeting in Hamilton.
It came as he was asked if he was
embarrassed by the privileges committee hearing into NZ First leader Winston Peters' failure to declare a $100,000 donation to his legal costs from billionaire Owen Glenn.
"I was hugely embarrassed. That was unfortunate but the parliamentary committee did its job," Mr Woolerton responded.
His comments run the risk of reigniting the saga, which severely damaged the credibility of both Mr Peters and the party.
Mr Woolerton today stood by his comments, but said they were directed at the saga as a whole rather than at Mr Peters' actions.
He refused to say what specific aspects of the saga, which resulted in Mr Peters being formally rebuked for misleading Parliament, he found embarrassing.
"I'm not going into a part by part discussion," he said.
"It was in the context of a candidates' debate that was fairly robust and some people clapped me for it, I might say.
"It was an honest answer, but I'm not going to dissect it."
Mr Woolerton's reference to the committee doing its job appears to put him at odds with Mr Peters, who has repeatedly criticised it as a political "jack up" by his opponents.
But Mr Woolerton said his comment merely noted the fact it had done its job. He had not said it had done a good job.
He said it was clear to everyone the saga had been damaging, but he believed NZ First could overcome the hurdle to return to Parliament.
The Glenn donation saga is one of a series of donations-related scandals that have embroiled the party.
The Serious Fraud Office cleared the party of misappropriating donations earlier this month, but the investigation forced it to admit it had breached electoral laws by failing to declare donations from the secretive Spencer Trust in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The trust was set up to receive donations and keep the donors' identities secret despite Mr Peters repeatedly criticising other parties for using similar tactics.
The existence of the trust was kept secret from some of the party's MPs and elected officials.
Police are still investigating the Electoral Act breaches.
- NZPA
