Information uncovered by the ACT Party has led the Auditor-General to deem the Government's Ihumātao purchase 'unlawful,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Grant Robertson illegally spent taxpayer money to solve a political problem created by Jacinda Ardern.

“ACT has always said this deal was unlawful. The role of Minister of Finance carries with a huge responsibility. Clearly Grant Robertson is not up to that task.

“This is a litmus test for the Prime Minister. How can we have a Minister of Finance who has knowingly and illegally misappropriated the spending of taxpayers’ money?

“But we know Jacinda Ardern will not do the right thing. She has a skills shortage in her Cabinet and someone who illegally spends taxpayers’ money is still her best option.

“It’s fine for the Speaker to publicly bully Parliamentary staff members, the Health Minister can go mountain biking in a lockdown, and it’s fine to punch down on KFC workers who have done nothing wrong.

It was ACT who uncovered that Robertson was advised by Treasury that this deal was not legal. New Zealanders deserve better than this.”