More than 20 MPs rent back their own homes at the taxpayer’s expense

May as well name and shame:

Four ministers (Duncan Webb, Jan Tinetti, Deborah Russell and Willie Jackson) claimed the capped allowance, of up to $45,000 a year, to cover living costs in the city. They then use it to pay rent on property they already own.

Four Government MPs (Arena Williams, Jenny Salesa, Jamie Strange and Sarah Pallet) claim an entitlement of up to $31,000 per year.

Twelve National Party MPs, including leader Christopher Luxon, do the same. They are: Andrew Bayly; Gerry Brownlee; Judith Collins; Jacqui Dean; Barbara Kuriger; Melissa Lee; Ian McKelvie; Mark Mitchell; Simon O’Connor; Stuart Smith; Louise Upston and Michael Woodhouse.

ACT’s Simon Court also claims the allowance and owns property in the Capital, but the party did not respond to a request for comment.

How the fuck is this legal??

MPs make the laws?

Oh... yes of course.

Fucking scum. When do we oust these locusts. They provide nothing but take everything.

Now is the time to vote!
- For who ? Labour that refused to bring in land reform or national who wish to have the highest house prices in the world oced ?
  
  I wonder which one I should bite for ?
  
  Politicians are corrupt civil servants. Remove them and get in people who actually want to improve the average kiwis life.
Don't forget to heckle them and send some hate mail to your local council. I'm doing my part, I hope you're doing yours ;-)
- Enlighten me. I may be convinced.

Govt should just build a big apartment building near Parliament and they can stay in that while in Wellington. If MPs want to live somewhere else they pay for it themselves

Like student dorms, separated by party affiliation? Or current standard Kāinga Ora units?
- Student dorms, two to a room with random assignment across parties to encourage maximum sitcom-esque situations like drawing a line down the middle of the room

I seem to remember someone getting pinged out for this about 15 years ago and it being quite a scandal.

Now it's what they all do. We're being boiled like the apocryphal frogs.

Just want to point out something that regularly gets overlooked whenever this is brought up.

I think its a bad look and ideally shouldn't happen, but...
The government would be paying rent to someone for these MPs so as long as its market rent, its not costing the taxpayer any more than it otherwise would.
Local constituency offices are regularly worked out a similar way and again its the same deal, if they're funded by the govt, then the govt would be paying someone, its just who its going to that's a bit off.
I'd be all in favour of Kainga Ora building a housing precinct of affordable, simple homes - ie the type we desperately need, and any MP that doesn't want to pay for their own accomodation from their own salary can have one of those to occupy.

I think it's a huge conflict of interest when it's MPs' own properties. Essentially taxpayer funds are supporting the accumulation of untaxed capital gains for every MP who does this. Its yet another example of why our housing policy is so borked when those elected to make the rules are so compromised in multiple ways.

I like your idea of KO building purpose accommodation for MPs.
I considered making this argument, but I decided I don't mind if it's the same money going to someone else, it should be an arms length transaction. Not to yourself, not to your husband or friend or friend's mum.

The idea of MP accommodation does sound good. How do you handle families? Backbencher salaries are not that great when you tell them they have to pay for two houses. I'm sure many MPs have partners and kids stay with them in Wellington at times.
- Oh I agree 100%, it should just be something that's not allowed so there's no question of impropriety.
  
  MP accommodation should be easy enough, a pool of housing some apartments, some townhouses and some 3-4 bed etc. Ideally built to social housing standards by Kainga Ora, because if its good enough for an average family it should be good enough for an MP.
  
  Oh and potentially Kainga Ora should research the standard operating practises of private landlords and apply that to MPs as well ;)

They don't? They all get an accommodation supplement for when they're staying in Wellington, which some choose to use on an owned home.

Can you point to some evidence that all MPs recieve this? I can only find a reimbursement for costs that has a cap.