4 April 2008
Decision of the Electoral Commission – application to list EPMU as a third party
At its meeting on 2 April the Electoral Commission considered the application from Andrew Little to list the
Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union (EPMU) as a third party and the objection to such a listing from David Farrar.
The objection asserted that under sub paragraph 13(2)(f)(i) of the Electoral Finance Act 2007 the EPMU is ineligible to
be listed as a third party because it is ‘a person involved in the administration of the affairs of a party’.
The first question to be considered was whether sub paragraph (i) refers to a natural person or a legal person. The
Electoral Commission sought a legal opinion from Crown Law on this question.
The Crown Law opinion is that in the context of section 13(2)(f)(i) of the Electoral Finance Act 2007 ‘person’ means a
natural person. Accepting this opinion, the Commission concluded that EPMU could not be a ‘person involved in the
administration of the affairs of a party’ and consequently determined that the EPMU is eligible to be listed as a third
party.
The EPMU will be listed as a third party on Thursday 17 April 2008 unless the Electoral Commission is ordered otherwise
by a court.
This decision will be published on the Elections New Zealand website at about 3pm today (4 April 2008).
The Commission will not be making any public comment.
ENDS