Labour and Te Pāti Māori miss deadline for financial statements
Photo:
RNZ / REECE BAKER
Labour and Te Pāti Māori have both been late in filing audited financial statements to the Electoral Commission.
It is another strike for Te Pāti Māori, although the Electoral Commission says the party has assured them this year's and last year's statements will be filed together soon.
Labour has filed its financial statements - but not an audit.
Their statements were due at the end of the financial year on 30 June. All other parties with that due date - including ACT and National - have filed their financial statements.
Electoral Commission manager of legal, regulation and policy Kristina Temel said the commission was continuing to follow up with both parties.
"Labour has not filed an audit report for its financial statements. The party contacted us before 30 June to advise that its audit report is taking longer than expected and at this stage we are satisfied with the reasons they and their auditor have given," Temel said.
Labour general secretary Rob Salmond said the party was "continuing to work with our audit partners as we transition to a new set of accounting practices" and was "in the late stages of this process".
Temel said Te Pāti Māori had not yet filed an audit report, or financial statements "but has told the commission they are being prepared and will be filed soon".
"They have also informed us that the outstanding audit report for last year's financial statements will be filed at the same time."
As incorporated societies, Labour and Te Pāti Māori are the only parties required to have their financial statements audited under changes to the Electoral Act passed in 2022.
Several other parties - including the Greens and NZ First - have a reporting date at the end of September.
Police previously
issued a formal warning to Te Pāti Māori
over the failure to file a complete and audited 2023 financial statement on time.
The commission said no decisions had yet been made on whether to refer any of Te Pāti Māori's leadership to police over this year's statements but noted that "under section 210J of the Electoral Act, it is an offence for a party secretary to file a financial statement late or fail to file a financial statement without reasonable excuse".
Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere declined to comment.
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