1 May 2012

Former mayoral candidates support electoral law review

9:30 pm on 1 May 2012

Former Auckland mayoral candidates are supporting a review of laws on donations to local body election campaigns.

Police are investigating claims that ACT Party leader John Banks declared donations towards his mayoral campaign as anonymous when they were not.

Prime Minister John Key says the Local Government electoral laws are not as stringent as those that apply to central Government and could be reviewed.

Colin Craig, Mr Banks's former rival in the Auckland mayoral race and now the leader The Conservative Party - a rival centre-right party - says the current laws rely on people being honest and transparent.

Mr Craig says if people are splitting donations or playing other sorts of games to get around the rules, there should be a review.

Auckland mayor Len Brown says he would also support a review.

During the last mayoral race Mr Brown campaigned for a ceiling of $200,000 for campaign donations.