Whanganui MP Carl Bates.
First-term Whanganui MP Carl Bates, under fire for not declaring 25 properties he and his family are linked to, has found support on Facebook.
In a reply to an online debate on the controversy, a commenter said: “[s]o he sought advice from the Registrar, one of New Zealand’s most senior and respected public servants and acted according to the advice he received. End of story. Keep up the good work Carl”.
The only problem with the message is it was from Bates, via his official FB account; “Carl Bates MP for Whanganui”.
Contacted by the Herald, Bates said the mix-up was due to a member of his team.
“As people interested in politics often do, a member of my team meant to comment their view under their name without realising they were logged into my page.
“It was a silly mistake and I removed the comment as soon as I was aware it existed,” he said.
Bates is in the spotlight after the Herald revealed trusts linked to Bates and his family own 25 properties that are not disclosed in the pecuniary interests register, Parliament’s list of MPs’ property and financial interests.
Many of the properties are rentals in Whanganui, making the trusts big players in the electorate’s housing market.
Bates told the Herald he was merely a beneficiary of the trusts and had checked he was declaring everything required of him.
Bates told the Herald, “When I moved into politics, I exited my business interests to focus solely on being an MP. This included selling my businesses and moving away from involvement in a family property portfolio.
“As a discretionary beneficiary of a family trust which has an interest in a property portfolio, I have no involvement in it or its interests, as is common for family trusts.
“Upon becoming an MP, I met with the Registrar of Pecuniary Interests in advance of filing my return to ensure I would be declaring everything required of me.”
Under Parliamentary rules, MPs must declare their business, property, and other legal interests; “thereby providing transparency and confidence in parliamentary processes and decision making”.
These declarations are recorded and published on Parliament’s Register of Pecuniary Interests. The register is overseen and published by the Registrar of Pecuniary Interests, currently Sir Maarten Wevers.
The pecuniary disclosure rules are ultimately set by Parliament’s Standing Orders Committee.
Other commenters noted that Kāinga Ora, the semi-autonomous housing agency, has scaled-back its build programme in Whanganui.
In April, Bates was quoted as saying he had “sought clarity” from Housing Minister Chris Bishop on what the changes in the build programme would mean for Whanganui.
The Herald asked Bates whether he had lobbied for or against the building of more social housing in the electorate — and whether he had made his connection to the properties clear when communicating with ministers and Kāinga Ora.
Bates said he had been advocating for more social housing.
“I always advocate strongly for my electorate, including by calling for more social housing in Whanganui,” he said.