Prime Minister defends Shane Jones travel bill as he outspends her

Economic Development Minister Shane Jones (right) accumulated a total of $44,728 in domestic costs in the June quarter. Photo / Warren Buckland

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended Shane Jones' travel expenses, after the Regional Development Minister again outspent her.

Jones racked up the highest domestic travel and accommodation expenses of any Government Minister in the three months from April to June as he jumped from province to province handing out money from the $1-billion-a-year Provincial Growth Fund.

He accumulated a total of $44,728 in bills, compared to Ardern's $40,341 – although she also had just short of $100,000 of international travel costs compared to Jones' $19,960.

Asked about the spending, Ardern said Jones' role meant he was obliged to get about.

"He's our Regional Economic Development Minister. That does mean he is expected to get around the country as we invest through the Provincial Growth Fund into the regions," she said.

But ministers were acutely aware of keeping spending down, Ardern said.

"We do have to travel to do our jobs, but I am constantly mindful that it is taxpayer money," she said.

It's not the first time Jones has outspent the PM and his spending is roughly in line with the same time last year.

A spokeswoman for his office said plane tickets to regional centres were expensive and the minister was based out of Kerikeri in Northland, meaning he often had to take two flights to get home.

Politicians across Parliament combined accumulated about $3.6 million in travel bills in the quarter, according to officials figures released on Thursday.

Spending on domestic travel and accommodation was similar to the same period last year, although international travel costs for ministers were up by about $200,000.

Opposition leader Simon Bridges was the highest spender on domestic travel overall, at about $45,000.

However, that figure includes $13,210 in limousine expenses he would have only been charged $6412 if he were a minister. The Leader of the Opposition gets access to Crown limos but at a higher rate.

Of the top 10 MPs who aren't ministers, nine of the highest spenders were from the National Party.

But costs are usually higher for politicians in larger or more remote electorates.

NZ First's Mark Patterson was the only one outside of National to make the top-10 non-ministers list, with expenses of $34,645.

Thriftiest ministers

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter has picked up the smallest travel bill of any Government minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell

While Jones was the highest-spending Government minister, others have been frugal.

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter's fondness for bicycles appears to be saving taxpayers some money.

Genter - who moved to Wellington after entering Parliament - only spent $6121 on travel and not a cent on accommodation from April to June.

That's less than half of the next thriftiest minister.

Genter told the Herald she tried to use public transport as much as possible – despite being warned by Parliamentary services not to for security reasons – cycled to work and carpooled when she could.

The next four lowest-spending ministers when it came to domestic expenses included:

• Jan Logie, Green Party, $14,818

• Chris Hipkins, Labour, $15,472

• Grant Robertson, Labour, $18,490

• Winston Peters $19,842

Those figures don't count international travel, which varies from nothing to $113,058 spent by Trade Minister David Parker, and are heavily contingent on ministers' roles.

Credit cards

Ministers and under-secretaries on Thursday also released the receipts and details of the their credit card spending, and the piles of receipts that go along them.

Six had no expenses on their credit cards, including Chris Hipkins, David Clark, Stuart Nash, Iain Lees-Galloway, James Shaw and Jan Logie.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson's office expensed a single receipt on his credit card – for a $13.50 lunch for a staffer in Hamilton while travelling with the minister.

Some notable items included:

• A last-minute $102 gift of a parliamentary tie and "glassware" bought at Parliament's gift shop for China's Minister of Culture, Luo Shugang, in March by Kelvin Davis' office.

• A $1928.50 tab – not alcohol included - picked up by Andrew Little's office at a Greymouth pub in May for Pike River families who had gathered at the town only to be told the re-entry would be delayed.