Motivations for political donations in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This research explores motivations for political party donations in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Drawing on interview data from 29 political ‘insiders,’ we utilize McMenamin and Power’s theoretical framework to assess the pragmatic, partisan and social motivations for donations. We extend the original framework beyond business donations, incorporating a broader range of donor and non-donor insights. We observe strong social motivations for donating and a general agreement among political actors that donations provide access to politicians. The theoretical lens is expanded by NZ-specific factors, notably a strong concern for democracy and the potential for adverse impacts from donating. The latter brings negative motivations into the theoretical lens. We offer an amended framework that more closely reflects donation motivations in the NZ environment, which is dominated by a small pool of large donors, close connections between political actors and a desire for adequately funded political parties to enhance democratic outcomes.