PM Jacinda Ardern and deputy PM Winston Peters overpaid by $21k

Winston Peters said today it would be an honour to have the Pacific Mission led by the Prime Minister and it would be a further sign of the importance New Zealand attached to Pacific neighbours.

An administration error has seen the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister receive accommodation payments they weren't entitled to.

In a statement this afternoon a spokesperson for the deputy prime minister's office revealed the payments to Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters were received in error but had since been paid back.

"As soon as we were advised of the error, we both immediately took steps to reimburse the money.

"That has now happened," said the prime minister and deputy prime minister.

In the statement the office explained the error occurred when the DIA's Ministerial Services continued to pay both Ardern and Peters a Member of Parliament's Wellington accommodation allowance after they had moved us into official accommodation.

But the office explained these payments should have stopped at that point.

"Both Ministers have reimbursed the overpayments which cover the period from late October to early February. Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern has repaid $12,082.19 and Rt Hon Winston Peters has repaid $9,123.29. The difference is explained by the dates on which they moved into the properties."