Former perkbuster Rodney Hide has used his MP's travel privileges to take his girlfriend on an overseas tour, leaving the taxpayer with a $25,163 bill for her flights.
Mr Hide paid for Louise Crome's trip from the public purse, despite Prime Minister John Key telling globe-trotting ministers to leave their partners behind or pay for the trip themselves.
The Act leader and Minister for Local Government sidestepped Mr Key's directive by keeping Ms Crome's business-class flights off his ministerial tab, instead claiming them as part of his MP's perk of 90 per cent subsidised international travel for partners.
Mr Hide's own flights and the accommodation on last month's trip to London, Canada and the United States was $26,872 - meaning a total bill of up to $52,000 for the taxpayer.
The 10-day trip was a Super City fact-finding visit to London, where Mr Hide met Mayor Boris Johnson, then went on to Toronto, Portland and Los Angeles.
Mr Hide told the Herald Ms Crome - a national squash representative - accompanied him "to be with me".
"It is very, very hard when you are a minister to maintain a relationship," he said.
Ms Crome's $25,163 in flights between July and September also included some domestic travel, although he did not know how much.
The Prime Minister issued the partners' travel directive in June, to show restraint in tough economic times.
"I've told them if they want to take their partner, they can do it, but they pay for it," he said at the time.
Mr Key paid for his wife Bronagh when they went to China in April.
Mr Hide - who is entitled to the 90 per cent subsidy as an MP who came into Parliament before 1999 - said he was not defying the Prime Minister's directive as the arrangement had been cleared by Mr Key's office.
"I didn't pay as minister, so this was, if you like, within the rules as an MP," the minister said.
Mr Hide, who earlier in his career became known as Parliament's perkbuster for his attacks on MPs cashing in on their positions, said he was aware it was all taxpayer money.
"The public can judge whether they get value for money from Rodney Hide MP/Minister."
A spokesman for Mr Key said he was aware some ministers had the discounted partner's travel perk available to them as longstanding MPs.
Mr Key was responsible only for Ministerial Services, not the Parliamentary Service which administered the perk.
The spokesman said Mr Key was comfortable with ministers taking partners, as long as they paid for the travel themselves, and using the perk met this definition.
Mr Hide's costs were revealed in yesterday's release of MPs' expenses for the three months between July and September.
It showed Labour MP Chris Carter's travel expenses had dropped considerably, to $13,549 - much lower than the $82,410 he was criticised for incurring in the first six months of the year.
Rodney Hide's partner on $25,000 trip
Rodney Hide. Photo / Mark Mitchell
