19 Oct 2018

National's turbulent political week - analysis

From Morning Report, 7:25 am on 19 October 2018

The National Party has opened itself up to the accusation that influence in politics can be bought, says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. In the phone recording Jami-Lee Ross released this week of a conversation he had with National leader Simon Bridges, the pair discussed a relation of a wealthy Chinese businessman going through candidacy school. This followed talk about a $100,000 donation the businessman Zhang Yikun allegedly gave them, which is now at the centre of a police complaint made by Mr Ross. Mr Bridges denies involvement in anything illegal. Mr Peters however, has called it "cash for candidacy". To review the turbulent week, Susie Ferguson talks to RNZ political editor Jane Patterson.