Lani Hagaman, Heartland Bank among latest big-note political donors

The latest Electoral Commission disclosures of donations above $30,000 all go to the National Party. They are:

• Lani Hagaman: $57,615
• Heartland Bank: $57,400
• Lane Capital: $50,000

And although his name has yet to appear on the $30K+ donation list, Xero boss and $550 million NBR Rich Lister Rod Drury made his preferred prime minister plain to his 40,000 followers on social media, tweeting:

Got to know @pmbillenglish Super smart, thinks/acts on root cause. Get change mood, feel Bill best for NZ right now https://t.co/LVldEePMEW

— Rod Drury (@roddrury) September 9, 2017

Mr Drury also posted a link to a new promotional video from National that tells its leader's life-story. It comes at a time when media trainer Brian Edwards says Mr English "needs to harden up, to and stop playing the gentleman farmer."

The latest donors
Lani Hagaman is the widow of tourism pioneer Earl Hagaman, who died in May aged 92. The Rich List couple was embroiled in a long-running defamation action against Andrew Little during his time as Labour Party leader, which was stalemated by hung jury decision in June.

Lane Capital is owned by $320 million NBR Rich Lister Gary Lane, the former owner of Lanes Biscuits, Hansells and Healtheries. Mr Lane's current interests include a majority ownership of US-registered Antipodean Pharmaceuticals, and a stake in Auckland super yacht builder Alloy Yachts.

Heartland Bank was created in 2012 through the merger of Canterbury Building Society, Southern Cross Building Society, Marac Finance and PGG Wrightson Finance. See NBR's latest Heartland Bank coverage here.

Other big-note donations across all parties in the past two months include:

• Dairy Workers Union to Labour: $120,000
• Rorohara Farms (co-owned by Mainfreight chairman and $400m NBR Rich Lister Bruce Plested) to the Maori Party: $50,000
• Maritime Union to Labour: $40,500
• E Tu Union to Labour: $120,000
• Gareth Morgan to TOP: $1.4 million
• Auckland artist Stanley Palmer to Labour: $39,100)*
• Wellington artist Karl Maughan to Labour: $60,000
• NBR Rich Lister Barry Colman to National: $56,000
• Alpha Laboratories (owned by Geum Soon Shim) to National: $112,000
• Carrus Corporation (owned by Rich Lister and Tauranga property developer Paul Adams) to National: $50,000
• Bruce Plested to the Maori Party: $100,000**
• E Tu union to the Greens: $30,000
• Retired High Court judge Robert Smellie, QC, to Labour: $100,000
• Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry (directors: Lang Lin and Meng Qing) to National: $150,000
• Alan Gibbs to ACT: $100,000

Labour is also boasting it has raised $500,000 since Jacinda Ardern became leader on August 1, mostly in small donations according to campaign manager Andrew Kirton. Other parties have been shy of giving a specific update.

Beyond whatever they raise through their own efforts, each party has been allocated taxpayer funding for electoral ads, broadly tied to its level of support, with National getting $1.3 million and Labour just over $1 million (see other totals here).

* Stanley Palmer says he was not aware his name had been put forward by Labour as a donor. It seems his name was used to funnel donations by un-named others during an art auction. Painter Karl Maughan says the same.