What does ‘entitlement’ look like, Chris Luxon?

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• Peter Aranyi says:

  1 March 2024 at 4:08 pm

  Oh dear. Radio NZ: ‘It’s an entitlement’: Luxon defends claiming $52k apartment stipend

  “Luxon campaigned on wasteful public spending and a need for cost cutting across the public service and under the coalition government ministries have been asked to find at least 6.5 percent of savings.
  “It’s an entitlement and I’m well within the rules,” he told reporters in Queenstown.
  He defended taking the payment, the first prime minister in at least 34 years to do so.
  “Look, it’s part of an entitlement for an out of Wellington MP. Whether you’re an MP or a minister, there’s a series of allowances and entitlements and it’s because I don’t have a primary residence in Wellington.
  “As I said before, all MPs, Ministers, have entitlements. All those MPs are living outside of Wellington, which I happen to do. So the intention is, I want to get to Premier House as quickly as we possibly can.”

  Read the room Luxon.

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  • Peter Aranyi says:

    1 March 2024 at 8:15 pm

    Oh, he did read the room (after listening to talkback radio!):

    “Luxon said he was now going to return all the money he had received since becoming PM.
    He […] listened to Newstalk ZB and heard the discussion on talkback […] then changed his mind about the allowance.”
    — NZ Herald

    Here’s the update from Newroom’s Marc Daalder: Luxon to repay $1000 per week he claimed to live in own apartment

    On Friday afternoon, Luxon defended taking the money in comments to reporters in Queenstown.
    “It’s an entitlement. I’m well within the rules,” he said. “I’m just entitled to the entitlements that everyone else has.”
    The Prime Minister added that he would prefer to live in Premier House but that wasn’t possible due to the condition of the building.
    Hipkins pushed back in a media conference after Luxon’s Queenstown appearance.
    “It’s absolutely hypocritical for Christopher Luxon to be saying that every other New Zealander needs to stomach cuts, while he’s claiming the $52,000 a year, that’s $1000 a week, allowance to live in his own house mortgage-free,” he said.
    “The fact that it’s within the rules doesn’t make it the right thing to do.”
    Just two hours later, Luxon announced he would no longer claim the entitlement.

    Pic: Luxon gets a clue

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