David Seymour MP wrote to us raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest between former Minister Hon Shane Jones and a company called Aimex Limited relating to funding for the Port Nelson Slipway project.

We carried out some inquiry work on the funding of the project. We found that while a donation to Mr Jones’ election campaign from Aimex Limited could be perceived as a potential conflict of interest that needed managing, we do not consider that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the potential conflict eventuated. We have not seen any evidence to suggest that Mr Jones was aware of the donation when he made the funding decision or that he had any other connection with Aimex Limited before approving the funding. Subsequent changes to how the funding was structured, and who received it, meant that Aimex Limited did not receive any funding.

Although no conflict of interest eventuated, there was a potential conflict that was not identified at the time the decision was made. Properly identifying and managing conflicts of interest is important to maintaining the public’s trust and confidence in how public money is spent. This is especially so when decisions are being made at the highest level of government (that is, by Ministers), or in relation to significant funding decisions. In circumstances such as this, it is imperative that there are systems in place to ensure that Ministers can promptly identify all potential conflicts (including perceived conflicts) and can take sufficient steps to appropriately manage them.

You can read our response to David Seymour MP on our website.

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