Every political party has its Voldemort. He who shall not be named. The enforcer barely seen in public conscience.
For NZ First it is Brian Henry, Winston Peters’ long time lawyer, mate, party judicial officer and enforcer who warned NZ First candidates in 2017 that he was the party’s “dark shadow” whose job was to ensure Peters’ “gets the position he deserves”.
Brian Henry’s role in the unfolding NZ First donations scandal is now under close scrutiny. In addition to being Peters’ right-hand man, lawyer and NZ First’s judicial officer, he is also a trustee of the New Zealand First Foundation. The foundation appears to have been taking political donations, while operating as a political slush fund for the NZ First political party.
“I look after the political wing of the NZ First Party. That’s an administrative matter. You can ask somebody else,” Peters’ told assembled media in Parliament on Tuesday.
Some party members call Henry “Peters’ attack dog”. People turn skittish when the name is mentioned in interviews. Numerous people connected to NZ First who spoke to Stuff feared lawsuits and retribution for doing so.
Numerous sources have confirmed to Stuff that, during a candidates briefing in at a hall in Takanini near Manukau in the lead up to the 2017 election, Henry gave NZ First candidates a lesson in how the party really works.
“I am the dark shadow in this party that you don’t want to receive a phone call from,” attendees told Stuff he said. “My job is to make sure Winston Peters gets the position he deserves and none of you are going to get in the way of that,” Henry said, according to sources present at the meeting.
Both Henry and Peters were contacted by Stuff in relation to the claims. Neither responded.
One candidate told Stuff that Henry’s warning shocked them, and made them reconsider their involvement with the party.
Another party official who attended the same event said that Henry’s address had a distinct, “Do what you’re told and don’t rock the boat” message to the new candidates.
Henry’s comments have surfaced as a raft of former NZ First officials have come forward to Stuff – both on the record and on the condition of anonymity – complaining that they were kept in the dark about party finances, the existence of the New Zealand First Foundation. Anyone who challenged Peters, Henry or Doug Woolerton, a former MP, party president and the other trustee of the NZ First Foundation, was forced out, sources have told Stuff.
The influence of Henry within the party is enormous and across all aspects of its operations, numerous sources told Stuff.
“Winston Peters calls Henry to back people down,” one former MP said. “He’s an attack dog. People are afraid of being tied up in litigation.”
The source also said that they found it interesting to see Henry becoming more visible in connection to the political party. “For years he’s been in the shadows,” they said. “It’s almost like he wants recognition for it.”
“Voldemort is not a bad analogy for him.”
Another former party member was scathing about the party and the way that it operated when they were involved..
“We started off in the party and believed in its ideals and policies,” the person said.
“But the longer you are there, the more you notice these backroom deals and as soon as you start to get close, or start challenging Winston on it, you get moved aside pretty quickly.
“The people who are there for a long time must know about it, or be stupid.”
In 2017 in the lead up to the election, there was excitement in the air at the start of a new candidates meeting.
“It was the day before the 2017 party Conference in Manukau. We all arrived there on the bus that had been touring the country for the election. There were about 60-odd candidates and campaign managers,” one of the candidates present told Stuff.
“We were excited. They put on a big breakfast. We were all dressed up to the nines, except for Shane Jones who was in a polo shirt.
The candidate said he remembered a few speakers before Henry and remembers candidates being a bit confused by the presence of Peters’ lawyer.
“Why is he here and not Winston Peters,” the person said. “We expected to be briefed on what we’re going to be saying. None of that was released to us.”
“When I heard Henry speak it made me wonder, who is really running things around here?”
This is not the first time that Henry and Peters have been tied up in a donations scandal. In 2008 Winston Peters denied receiving a $100,000 donation from the ex-pat Kiwi transport and logistics billionaire Owen Glenn.
Peters said, at the time, the $100,000 was given to his lawyer, Henry, to cover legal fees. He said Henry did not tell him about it, and that it did not need to be declared.
Henry told the Committee that the money was paid directly to cover a legal debt and did not need to be declared. During a Serious Fraud Office investigation into the same donation controversy, Henry also gave evidence.
Owen Glenn contradicted Peters’ statement, testifying before Parliament’s privileges committee at the time that Peters had solicited the donation and that he knew about it.
Peters was later cleared by the Serious Fraud Office and police decided that no offence had been committed.
The privileges committee recommended Peters be censured for “knowingly providing false or misleading information on a return of pecuniary interests.”
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