In their coalition agreement with NZ First, the National Party agreed to provide $24 million in funding to the charity "I Am Hope / Gumboot Friday". Why were they so eager to do so? Because their chair was a National donor, their CEO was the son of a National MP who had wanted to become a National candidate, and they had paid a former National PM for the "independent" assessment used to pimp their service:
The chair of the I Am Hope Foundation donated $27,000 to the National Party prior to the past two elections, and its just-departed CEO sought the National Party candidacy for Botany in 2019, raising questions over close ties between the charity and the senior coalition partner, in the wake of a $24m funding announcement.That stench you're smelling? It's corruption. And it seems to taint everything this government does.[...]
Recently-departed I Am Hope chief executive and current board member Troy Elliott, whose late father John Elliott was a National MP, sought the National Party candidacy for the Botany electorate in 2019, but was defeated by now-prime minister Christopher Luxon.
[...]
At Wednesday’s announcement, Doocey said every dollar invested in Gumboot Friday resulted in a social return of $5.70. He did not cite the source of that figure, although it had been previously quoted in National’s 100-day plan and in its campaign material ahead of the 2023 election as coming from a “social impact assessment” carried out by Impact Lab.
Impact Lab was co-founded by former National leader Sir Bill English, who is also the company’s chair.
This is not how kiwis think our government should work. And if National can’t kick their corruption habit, we need to start sticking them in jail.
