2025 annual party returns
The 2025 party returns of donations and loans have been published on the Electoral Commission website elections.nz.
A summary and downloadable copies of the party returns for the year ending 31 December 2025 can be viewed here:
Party donations and loans by year
The party returns must include the name and address of any donor who has donated a total of more than $5,000 in one or more payments.
Background on the annual returns
Registered parties must file a return with the Electoral Commission by 30 April each year setting out donations and loans to the party for the previous year ending 31 December.
The party secretary is responsible for recording donations and loans and filing a return that is true and correct.
Party donations over $20,000 received during 2025 did not need to be immediately reported to the Commission. Parties are only required to declare these donations within 20 working days in an election year.
Not all parties have to include an audit report with their return. Audit reports are not required if a party received $50,000 or less in donations and have no new loans, or any existing loans with an unpaid balance over $15,000.
Where an audit report is required, the auditor must state whether, in their opinion, the return fairly reflects donations received and loans entered into by the party secretary.
The threshold for including the names of donors in the annual returns has increased from $5,000 to $6,000 for donations received after 1 January 2026, which will be seen in next year’s returns due on 30 April 2027.