A Peek into the Books: MPs’ Expenses in Numbers

A new Taxpayers’ Union briefing paper shows Members of Parliament have spent nearly $15 million in Parliamentary Service funding over the past 21 months while continuing to withhold line-by-line expense information, leaving taxpayers unable to see what their dollars are being spent on. 

A Peek into the Books: MPs’ Expenses in Numbers, is based on Parliament’s own disclosures. The analysis shows wide variation in both individual and party spending. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi recorded the highest individual Parliamentary Service expenditure over the period at $273,681, followed by Labour MP Damien O’Connor and Greens MP Hūhana Lyndon. 

“Over just 21 months MPs have spent close to $15 million through the Parliamentary Service on travel, accommodation, and transport,” said Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks. 

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi is the highest-spending Member of Parliament. 

“When some MPs cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars more than their colleagues, perfectly reasonable questions follow. Those questions may have perfectly reasonable answers, but because Parliamentary Service spending has special carveout from the Official Information Act, the public aren't allowed to access to the receipts.” 

“This briefing simply lays out the (albeit limited) numbers Parliament itself releases. If those figures raise eyebrows, the obvious fix isn’t fewer questions; it’s more transparency. Every other public employee is subject to freedom of information law, MPs should be no exception. Opening the books would let the numbers speak for themselves.”