Jami-Lee Ross has used the protection of parliamentary privilege to accuse the National Party of holding $150,000 in donations linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

It's not clear whether the allegation is related to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into two $100,000 donations to the National Party.

"The National Party had been the beneficiary of large amounts of foreign donations," Ross, a former National MP, said in Parliament on Thursday.

"These donations are linked back to China and linked back to the Chinese Community Party, and with ease entered New Zealand."

Ross added, "What I learned was that large sums of money adding up to around $150,000 coming directly out of China in Chinese yuan over successive years ended up as political party donations."

Ross hasn't made these allegations before. He did so in the House today because parliamentary privilege protects him from legal action like defamation.

"These funds eventually made their way to the New Zealand National Party," Ross said. "The New Zealand National Party still holds those funds. The National Party is still holding $150,000 in donations made over two successive years."