Labour and National are continuing to benefit from a perk allowing the parties or affiliated groups to get Parliament to pay the rent on electorate offices they own.
The annualised cost of these rental top-ups as of June 30 this year was about $222,720. This is down on last year, when it was $242,040.
Most MPs have offices in their electorates or in the constituencies where they are based for local work. The Parliamentary Service often rents properties from private landlords for the MP to use.
There are cases where the MP, their party or an affiliated group owns the building and then rents it to the Parliamentary Service for the politician’s use.
In recent years, the Parliamentary Service has published disclosures about these leases to show the public that the MPs and parties are not charging exorbitant amounts of money for the offices.
An independent market assessment is also provided highlighting how much the building could be rented out for.
In all cases, the amount paid by the Parliamentary Service is below or the same as this assessment.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon benefits from this quirk. He owns the electorate office that Parliament pays the rent on. That comes in annually at $45,000.
Luxon, whose annual salary as Prime Minister is $510,300, has charged the same rental amount for years. It is slightly below the independent market assessment.
In 2022, when he was Leader of the Opposition, a spokesman for Luxon told the Herald the “arrangements for his electorate office have been declared to Parliamentary Service and comply with all of the relevant rules”.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ office is charged at an annualised cost of $12,960, or $1080 per month.
His office, like other Labour properties listed, is owned by Labour Party Properties.
Other MPs whose offices are owned by their party or an affiliated group include Labour’s Jenny Salesa ($27,540 a year), Tracey McLellan ($29,064) and Rachel Brooking ($25,200), as well as National’s Paul Goldsmith ($15,780), Melissa Lee ($15,780), Nancy Lu ($7896), Miles Anderson ($16,500) and David McLeod ($27,000).
Goldsmith, Lee and Anderson have upped their rent slightly (though none exceed the independent market assessment), while McLellan has dropped hers.
A spokeswoman for the National Party said Goldsmith, Lee and Lu have spaces on an office floor owned by the Auckland Nationalist Centre, which is an incorporated society with its own constitution that supports the party’s northern region.
“MP rentals were adjusted last year for first time in eight years, based on a commissioned, independent market valuation. Rental payments contribute to rates, insurances, repairs, body corporate levies and car parking.”
Labour’s general secretary Rob Salmond said it was important MPs had a local office to meet with members of the community they represent.
“That service is equally important regardless of who owns the office space,” he said.
“These lease arrangements are long-standing across multiple parties, and the Parliamentary Service has rules to ensure the offices are rented at no more than their true market rate. This protection means taxpayers receive fair value for the public money funding MP offices in communities across the country.”
Lu is new to this disclosure list. Her office wasn’t listed on the 2024 disclosures.
Labour MP Willie Jackson now also appears to no longer have an office benefiting from this perk. On last year’s disclosures, his office was charged at $1750.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.