Peter Goodfellow confirms a business associate of the alleged donor at the centre of the Jami-Lee Ross saga is in Candidate College.

National president Peter Goodfellow says he and two MPs have been made honorary chairmen of a major Chinese conference organised by a businessman at the centre the party's political donation scandal.

MP Jami-Lee Ross Ross alleged last week National Party leader Simon Bridges had broken the law by not correctly declaring a $100,000 donation he claimed was made by Yikun Zhang, his business partner, and associate Colin Zheng. Bridges denies Ross' claims of corruption.

KEVIN STENT/STUFF National Party president Peter Goodfellow says he's not paid for the position.

Ross later laid a complaint with police and handed over evidence including a recorded conversation between him and Bridges.

The Electoral Commission said on Wednesday police had been in contact regarding the complaint.

READ MORE: Alleged National donor Yikun Zhang bringing 1000 well-connected compatriots to NZ

In the recording, Zheng was mentioned as a possible candidate for the National Party.

Goodfellow said Zheng had entered the National Party's Candidate College for the 2020 election on Tuesday.

"I encouraged him to enter the college," Goodfellow said at the time.

SUPPLIED Yikun Zhang invited National Party president Peter Goodfellow to be an honorary chairman of the 20th International Teochew Conference in Auckland.

Goodfellow also has close connections with Zhang, and he accepted his invitation in 2017 to become an honorary chairman of the 20th International Teochew Conference in Auckland.

The conference, to be held over three days in September next year at SkyCity, will attract more than 1000 high-powered Chinese business people.

It is being organised by Chao Shan General Association of New Zealand, which Zhang established in 2014 for New Zealander-Chinese who share the same hometown of Chaoshan, a region in the coastal city of Guangdong in China.

Zhang is chairman of the Chao Shan General Association of New Zealand and Zheng is executive chairman of the 20th Teochew International Conference.

SUPPLIED Yikun Zhang with Governor-General of New Zealand Patsy Reddy after receiving an Order of Merit for services to New Zealand-China relations and the Chinese community.

Teochew is the name of the dialect and people native to the Chaoshan region.

Goodfellow said he supported the Chao Shan Association of New Zealand's bid to host the conference along with Auckland Council and Tourism NZ.

"In 2017, I was informally appointed to the role of honorary chairman of the conference by Yikun Zhang," Goodfellow said.

"This role does not come with any remuneration or formal expectations."

SIMON MAUDE/STUFF Labour Party President Nigel Haworth says he declined the offer.

Zhang also offered Labour Party president Nigel Haworth the title of honorary chairman but he declined.

Business people who would attend the conference were part of "the most commercial clan in China", he said.

Teochew people have been revered for their business success for millennia and have a global diaspora of 50 million connected through the Teochew International Federation.

Haworth said he declined the offer because he did not have "the time or inclination" for the role.

"It's a significant international event. I could see no reason why we wouldn't support a major group of business people who choose to hold a convention or a conference here in Auckland."

It would be a huge honour for Zhang to host the conference, he said.

"Mr Zhang has achieved a signal honour in his community by being invited to host that."

SUPPLIED Jami-Lee Ross and Simon Bridges were briefed by Yikun Zhang and Colin Zheng at Zhang's house on May 14.

The Chao Shan Association's of New Zealand's official WeChat account said on May 14 Zhang briefed Ross and Bridges about the progress of the preparation for the conference.

The association's WeChat article said: "Bridges, accompanied by Ross and Ross' wife, visited Zhang and Zhang's wife".

It is the same day Ross said he and Bridges had attended a private dinner at Zhang's home, and just days before Bridges was allegedly offered the $100,000 donation.

Goodfellow said Labour MP Raymond Huo and National MP Jian Yang, both originally from China, were also honorary chairmen of the conference.

ABIGAIL DOUGHERTY/STUFF Labour MP Raymond Huo says his role as honourary chairman is to provide assistance in his capacity as a list MP in the same way he supports other community groups.

The 2017 register of pecuniary and other interests of MPs shows Huo attended the Teochew International Convention in Indonesia, with the Chao Shan General Association of New Zealand paying for travel and accommodation.

The list MP said he was given the honorary chairman role last year.

"It is highly symbolic to be appointed as an honorary chair in the Chinese culture and to a large extent, it is a way for a community group to show its respect," Huo said.

There were more than 10,000 Teochew in Auckland, he said.

Yang was thrust into the public spotlight in 2017 after he denied allegation of involvement with Chinese spies but admitted he had taught English to students in China so they could monitor communications and collect information.

Yang has been approached for comment.

Zhang and Zheng, who were both granted residency after moving to New Zealand, have also been approached for comment.

Zhang became a New Zealand resident under the general skills category in 2001 while Zheng, 33, became a New Zealand resident through the skilled employment category in 2007.

Both men are currently in China.

Zhang has been hosting Southland mayor Gary Tong on a nine-day trip. Māori activist Tame Iti was also a guest.

Tong told Stuff last week he had spoken to Zhang, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and said he did not make a "personal donation" of $100,000.

Zhang appeared on the front page this week of the Yangcheng Evening News newspaper - one of the major media outlets in Guangzhou, China with close connections to the ruling Communist Party of China.

The article said Zhang had established a One Belt One Road service centre in New Zealand in 2017. The initiative plans to boost trade connections across Eurasia, facilitated by significant investment in and construction of infrastructure.

He said he hoped the "the mainstream society of western countries can accept the concept of One Belt One Road, and get to know more about China, and enjoy the benefits brought by the One Belt One Road initiative".

New Zealand became involved in One Belt One Road in late 2015 when it joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank – one of the vehicles for funding the projects.

New Zealand signed a memorandum of agreement with China in March 2017 to engage China in the initiative.

Zheng, who has a military history and Communist Party of China connections, hosted representatives of the Communist Party of China Puning municipal committee and the Puning Government in New Zealand in 2017.