A donation protected from disclosure is a mechanism for any person who wants to make a donation of more than $1,000 to a registered political party or listed third party and does not want their identity to be disclosed to either the public or to the party receiving the donation.

The Electoral Commission puts your donation together with others and passes it to the party at regular intervals without identifying the value of individual donations, or the number or names of donors involved.

Forms are provided below to faciliate the making of a donation protected from disclosure.

Limits

Please note that:

• the maximum amount that an individual or body can donate to any one political party through this process is $36,000 between two successive elections (but you may donate to more than one party in this way, and to a $36,000 limit for each)
• no political party may receive more than $240,000 from donations protected from disclosure between two successive elections.
• the maximum an individual or body can donate to any one listed third party through this process is $1,800 between two successive elections (but you may donate to more than one listed third party in this way, and to a $1,800 limit for each)
• no listed third party may receive more than $12,000 from donations protected from disclosure between two successive elections.

If a donation or contribution takes an individual or party over their limit then the Electoral Commission will return the excess.

Confidentiality

It is an offence under the Electoral Finance Act 2007 to tell a party that you intend to, or have made, a donation or to provide such information that may allow them to deduce that you intend to, or have made, a donation.

Offence provisions also apply to people permitted to know this information. The only people permitted to know this information are:

• a member or employee or other person engaged by the Electoral Commission
• any officer, employee, relative, adviser, or agent of the donor or contributor
• any other person to whom the identifying details must be supplied to enable the donation to be made (eg, an employee of a bank who processes a cheque by which the donation is made)
• any person to whom the identifying details must be supplied to comply with one or more of the Inland Revenue Acts (within the meaning of section 3(1) of the Tax Administration Act 1994)
• the Auditor-General
• any other person entitled to the information in question in accordance with any search warrant, summons, or any process under rules of Court, or in the course of any proceedings.

The details of those who make a donation protected from disclosure, including all contributions to a donation, cannot be supplied under Official Information Act 1982.