WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The two politicians started their conversation casually, but there was serious business at hand: a donation recently deposited into a party account from a wealthy businessman, which one of the lawmakers said totaled 100,000 New Zealand dollars.

The reported size of the donation, about $66,000, was large by New Zealand standards. But the cash, the lawmaker says, came with strings attached — a promise to add the names of two businessmen to a list of candidates for Parliament — and a plan to disguise the identity of the donor, a man with deep pockets and well-documented connections to the Chinese Communist Party.

The conversation, a recording of which was leaked last week, is the latest in a series of scandals that suggest New Zealand is vulnerable to political interference at a time when China is seeking greater influence throughout the Pacific.

New Zealand is often portrayed as a progressive paradise far removed from the rest of the world, but it plays an important role in the Five Eyes network, an alliance of Western intelligence agencies assigned to listen in on communications worldwide. Similar concerns were raised last year when it was revealed that Jian Yang, a Chinese-born lawmaker and member of the National Party, had taught at a Chinese spy academy. Mr. Yang denied being a spy himself and remains in Parliament.