General Debate, Parliament, Wednesday 14th June

(Winston Peters on Investors International & “Free Money”).

Rt Hon. WINSTON PETERS (Leader, NZ First): The ACT party* in New Zealand does not like the paying of taxes, and it does not like certain legal schemes, so it indulges itself in certain schemes that are not legal.

We can recall in this House, Owen Jennings making a personal statement back on 20 May 1998 regarding a pyramid selling scheme.

The whole issue turned upon the timing of his visitation to Parliament by certain organisers.

The tape-recording* of Parliament out here, and egress and access videos were not allowed to be used, to pin-point the time, by the previous Speaker.

Hence the consequence: Mr Owen Jennings' so-called explanation stood up in mid-1998.

I want to talk about a conference organised at the Waipuna Lodge by FESL, and one Philip Grainger on Sunday 18 July 1999.

That conference was attended by 300 people, some of the names of whom we extensively have.

At that meeting, a well-known economist, Gareth Morgan, was a speaker.

He is prone to tell everybody in this Parliament how we should run this country.

Also at that conference was Gordon Lepp, of Lepp Lawrence and Associates, Australia.

We have tape-recordings of part of that Waipuna meeting.

That meeting promoted the use of off-shore* trusts and international business companies for the purpose of disguising their activities through a significant chain of other companies, surrogate companies, and the like, to disguise through a nation of origin what the true tax and income position might be.

The second purpose of the meeting was to promote earnings of income without having to pay tax.

Any disclosure is forewarned by any investor at the time to incur a $1 million writ at the least.

The fourth thing to it involved was the sale of unregistered securities.

That is what the ACT party has been involved in, despite the awareness of Parliament in 1998.

In 1998, Mr Jennings' office organised a meeting.

His secretary handed out the photocopied document.

Prior to the Securities Commission beginning its investigation, the organisers of that meeting were tipped off.

Hence the Securities Commission drew a blank.

There was January 1999 meeting of the same or a similar organisation in Fiji, organised by Investors International.

People in this Parliament will be aware of that organisation, because we have had a series of clear fraudulent activities in this country that have evoked the concern of certain lawful authorities in this country.

I am talking about the two Australian women who were remanded in London, in Holloway Prison, who were involved in that documentation also here, with regard to Westgate Development.

I am talking of the New Zealand Herald warning: ``Securities Commission urged caution before parting with money to schemes run by United States based Investors International, run by Dr Rudolf van Lin''.

Dr Rudolf van Lin was at the Fiji conference.

What is apposite there, in connection with the January 1999 meeting, organised by Investors International, was that Rodney Hide MP spoke at it.

Hon. Trevor Mallard: What?

Rt Hon.WINSTON PETERS: Rodney Hide MP spoke at it.

There were 1,200 people there, 700 from New Zealand and the rest from Canada and Australia, and Mr Rodney Hide MP, who claims to be the only qualified person in this House on the question of economics, was a guest speaker.

I want to know who paid his air fare*, who paid his accommodation, and what speaking fee he took, because this organisation is involved in two significant activities: the illegal transacting of unregistered securities, and straight out tax evasion.

Mr Hide should come to this House to explain what he was doing there at that time.

This is 2 years after this House was alerted as to the activities of Mr Owen Jennings and certain colleagues organised in this House.

Why are MPs in this House facilitating straightforward tax evasion conferences, lending the legitimacy of this Parliament and their office to those sorts of activities? Why are ACT party members still involved? They come to this House and preach like paragons of virtue to the rest of us, but when it comes to certain business activities, they turn a total blind eye.

I recall hearing Rodney Hide when I raised the question of the wine box*.

Back then it was a major sin, because we were talking about big business.

Those members have been involved, and more information about these activities will be revealed at a more substantial time, when I have more than 5 minutes.

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END OF TURN

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