Business class travel worth it, says Hucker

Bruce Hucker

Auckland City deputy mayor Dr Bruce Hucker says he will not consider travelling on anything less than business class at ratepayers' expense on a trip to Glasgow in October.

The City Vision leader will be accompanied by Citizens & Ratepayers Now leader Scott Milne, who said it might be sensible to fly the next level down in premium economy.

Dr Hucker and Mr Milne will today vote to send themselves to a waterfront expo in Glasgow, bringing to nearly 30 the number of overseas trips councillors have taken or booked in less than two years.

The travel policy changed in December to allow councillors to plan and approve their own overseas trips, including business class airfares on journeys longer than seven hours. Mayor Dick Hubbard and Dr Hucker signed off the new policy.

The council's travel policy has been under the spotlight since councillors Penny Sefuiva and Vern Walsh and two officers took a month-long, business-class global jaunt at a cost of $85,000.

The two City Vision councillors smashed the previous record for a single overseas trip before returning home and voting to raise household rates by 13.4 per cent.

The council has since confirmed that the two officers on the trip, community services manager Cameron Parr and community planning manager Mark Vinall, made the personal decision to downgrade from business class to premium economy class to save money.

They did, however, fly business class on one leg from Vancouver to London.

Mr Hubbard said the first he knew of the trip was when he read about it in the Herald and called for strict new controls on overseas travel, which has blown out to more than $100,000 under his leadership.

Last night Dr Hucker, who earns a council salary of $83,000, said flying business class on flights longer than seven hours was a sensible policy, saying he did not want to front up to the conference tired or take extra days to get over jetlag.

Asked if he planned to follow the letter of the policy - which he voted to implement in the last term of council - and fly business class to Glasgow, Dr Hucker replied "yes".

"As far as I'm concerned that policy hasn't been changed and that policy affects both councillors and officers."

Dr Hucker previously told the Herald he had no plans to change the policy of business class air travel.

Asked if it would set a good example to downgrade from business class at a time of double-digit rate increases, Mr Milne said the level below business class might be sensible.

Air New Zealand fares to Glasgow in October are $3109 (economy), $4289 (premium economy) and $9259 (business), Emirates fares to Glasgow are $2554 (economy) and $8506 (business).

Dr Hucker said the Waterfront Expo, featuring 12 case studies from around the world, was an important conference for the council as it embarked on the Tank Farm waterfront development.

"We are sending two councillors to a conference where we can tap into world-class expertise," he said.

Mr Milne said the same waterfront conference at London in 2003 taught him important lessons.