Auditor-General receives new information on Wong

Pansy Wong announcing her resignation from Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Labour MP Pete Hogson has asked the Auditor-General to further consider allegations that National MP Pansy Wong misused her parliamentary travel allowance.

Mrs Wong resigned from Parliament yesterday morning, effective from January 17, saying she was concerned allegations of misuse of taxpayer-funded travel would hurt the National government.

She earlier stood down from Cabinet over the allegations and said yesterday the ongoing controversy had become a distraction for the Government.

An inquiry, commissioned by Speaker Lockwood Smith and carried out by consultant Hugh McPhail, looked into travel by Mrs Wong and her husband Sammy Wong. It found only one instance of travel that involved a business deal, while they were in China on a taxpayer-subsidised trip.

Labour had called for Auditor-General Lyn Provost to investigate the case, but she announced yesterday that she had decided not to.

"Irrespective of Mrs Wong's decision to resign from Parliament, I had already decided that further investigation by this office is not warranted," Mrs Provost said yesterday.

However, Mrs Provost's office this afternoon confirmed it was considering further information supplied today by Labour MP Pete Hodgson.

- NZPA