Simon Bridges has spoken out after it was revealed that more than $3.7 million in taxpayer dollars in travel perks and annuities has been paid out to former Prime Ministers, Governors-General and surviving spouses over the past five years.
Under the Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Services) Act, former Prime Ministers and Governors-General receive a yearly payment after they leave office, called an annuity, as well as taxpayer-funded travel, public transport and a new taxpayer-funded car every 60,000km.
"Independent Renumeration Authority aside, I think if we thought that PMs, ex-PMs were joy-riding down Queen Street or something, that might be a problem," the National Party leader said on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning. "But they made a change a wee while back that meant that, basically, the travel had to be connected to their former role...
"You're talking about people who are New Zealand ambassadors in the broader sense.
"I remember, for example, United Nations Security Council - we got on that. We were sending both Helen [Clark] and Jim Bolger out around the world doing these things, so there's a role for some of it, but you wouldn't want to get carried away with it."
Latest Department of Internal Affairs figures, obtained under the Official Information Act, show full details of the payments made to 16 people claiming their entitlements under the Act.
A total of $834,977 was claimed in the 2017/18 year, made up of $173,804 in transport and $661,173 in annuity payments.
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