Billy Te Kahika outs himself as second Electoral Commission referral to police over donations

The Māori Party has been referred to the police for failing to declare nearly $330,000 of donations in time.

The Electoral Commission wouldn't comment on a second referral it's made to police, but Newshub can reveal it's conspiracy theorist Billy Te Kahika - in fact, he's outed himself.

John Tamihere was the Māori Party's big name candidate at the election and it turns out he was also its big cash donor, Electoral Commission data shows. 

"It's only come from one source and that's me, but that's all been declared - look at the returns," Tamihere told Newshub on Monday. 

The problem was, they weren't declared in time - $327,000-worth in donations, most of which came from Tamihere. The party has now been referred to police.

Asked why he didn't follow the law, Tamihere said: "Because I'm not as perfect as you."

Newshub put it to Tamihere that he's the one that's been referred to police.

"Yeah, well, what are they going to do?" he replied. 

It's not Tamihere's first rodeo. As a Labour MP he was investigated - and cleared - by the Serious Fraud Office over political donations.

On Monday he likened the Electoral Commission's referral to police as "taking a baseball bat to the natives for being naughty". 

"Those days are pretty much gone," he told Newshub. "We'll just wait and see exactly what happens."

The Electoral Commission also revealed a second referral to police from another party - a candidate who allegedly failed to disclose donations. 

The Electoral Commission wouldn't disclose who it was - but he did it himself: Billy Te Kahika, who co-led Advance NZ. 

"New Zealand police are going to be investigating me with a charge of possibly breaching the electoral rules," he said in a Facebook Live video. 

Police said in a statement to Newshub: "We have received the referrals and the matters are currently being assessed."

Te Kahika says he wasn't across all the donations and that it was more the domain of his former buddy and co-leader, Jami-Lee Ross.

The ex-National MP is facing a high court trial over donations - he's pleaded not guilty.

It's a whirlwind of donation allegations - National's in the gun too. Like the Māori Party, it also failed to declare a donation over $30,000 in time. But unlike the Māori Party, it's not been referred to police. 

"That's just really sad that the system has its bias and potentially is racist," says Māori Party president Che Wilson. 

The Electoral Commission says the same rules are being applied. It hasn't yet decided whether to refer National to the police too.