UPDATED 1.52PM The leaker behind the Panama Papers has criticised New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in a first public statement.
Mr Key - the only world leader named in the papers - "has been curiously quiet about his country's role in enabling the financial fraud Mecca that is the Cook Islands", the leaker said in a statement released this morning.
The Cook Islands is a former New Zealand colony but is now self-governing in "free association" with New Zealand. Investors in the Cooks pay no income tax or capital gains tax. It has been branded a tax haven.
That was the only reference to Mr Key or New Zealand in a 1800-word manifesto by the leaker, who calls himself "John Doe".
However, the Prime Minister said the way Cook Island trusts were taxed were changed to solve issues of tax avoidance in 1998 - well before his time in office.
"Subsequently there have been no issues because that was why we changed the way we tax a foreign trust in New Zealand.
"That well and truly pre-dates me, it has nothing to do with me."
"That's why I'm quiet on it because I don't have any responsibilities."
"The whistleblower has got confused about my responsibilities," he said.
"I have as much responsibility for tax in the Cook Islands as I do for tax in Russia."
When asked whether the comments made gave any indication of who the anonymous whistleblower might be, Mr Key said he had received advice they were likely European.
"It's a common mistake made by Europeans because [the Cook Islands] use New Zealand dollars."
Mr Key maintained he was not concerned about New Zealand gaining a reputation as a tax haven as a result of the leak, saying the country "barely ranked as a foot note" in the papers.
In the statement, "John Doe" is critical of banks, financial regulators, tax authorities, the courts and legal profession.
He also says he offered documents to several major media outlets but that they chose not to cover them.
The Panama Papers - millions of documents leaked from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamian law firm that specialises in setting up foreign trusts - have exposed a lack of scrutiny around foreign trusts in New Zealand.
The government has appointed tax expert John Shewan to review New Zealand's trust laws.
But both Labour and the Greens say it is not taking the issue seriously and have repeated calls to broaden the inquiry.
"John Key's failure to take this issue seriously and to commit to an independent inquiry is bad enough but now he and New Zealand are being singled out for supporting highly unethical or even illegal behaviour," said Labour's finance spokesman Grant Robertson.
"What we need is a fully independent inquiry into the foreign trust industry, and into tax evasion. Having a limited inquiry into the rules is simply not enough anymore."
Labour leader Andrew Little said Mr Key had tried to brush off this issue and pretend there was no problem.
"But now he and New Zealand have been singled out for allowing the mega-rich overseas to hide their ill-gotten gains and avoid paying their fair share of tax. It's very disturbing to see our country singled out as a problem in this way," Mr Little said.
Green finance spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said the government needs "a much more comprehensive inquiry into allegations New Zealand is becoming a destination of choice for ultra-wealthy people seeking to avoid paying tax in their home countries".
Ms Genter said it looks like New Zealand and the Prime Minister are a lot more involved than first thought.
"What is the Prime Minister's role? Why has he been so defensive of the regime when it was clear several years ago that there was a problem with our lack of disclosure, and that New Zealand was being used as a tax haven?"
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