Unbelievable…
PM Christopher Luxon claims $52k top-up to rent his own apartment
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have ignored his own orders to the public service to find savings up up to 7.5 per cent from their budgets, quietly claiming an 11 per cent top up to his own $471,000 salary in the form of a $52,000 optional allowance.
The allowance is meant to pay for Luxon to find accommodation in Wellington. However, few prime ministers have claimed it – Luxon is the first in at least 34 years. Out-of-towners like Jacinda Ardern have opted to live in the prime minister’s official residence, Premier House, for free. Other prime ministers like Chris Hipkins and Bill English, were already based in Wellington.
English claimed an allowance but decided to pay it back after it was revealed he claimed nearly $1000 a week to live in his family home, which was officially deemed a ministerial residence.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said Luxon was “claiming an accommodation allowance on his Wellington apartment in accordance with the rules”.
…so brutal free market austerity capitalism for bottom feeders but $52 000 worth of socialism for Christopher Luxon???
The arrogance and self interest of the political Right is very ugly.
Cutbacks for us bottom feeders, $52 000 to rent out his own apartment to himself for him?
Wow.
Just. Wow.
This on top of Big Tobacco, gun lobbyists and rich landlords interests being the only ones that matters to this Government.
I don’t believe the vast majority of Kiwis had any idea how far right National would take this country and they should be deeply concerned where all this malice and spite will take us as a nation.
Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.
If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media.
Well you dont get rich by spending your own money.
no that’s true, however comparing him to Hipkins is not comparing apple with apple. Hipkins was minister of Remutaka, lived in lower Hutt and therefore did not require another house in Wellington.
Luxon is minister of Botany, primary residence in Auckland, but needs a place to live in Wellington as part of his role. Any employer will pay for work related accommodation. Why should Luxon forgo rental income on his investment property in Wellington, when it will be totally appropriate for him to get fully funded accommodation in Wellington? ask yourselves, will you subsidize your employer if you were in his shoes?
His employers are the people of New Zealand, not some profiteering corporation.
He’s one of the wealthiest prime ministers we’ve ever had. He’s telling us we need some austerity to get ourselves out of our ‘fragile’ economic situation.
He needs to walk the talk, lead by example and expect everyone to tighten their belts, not just those who can least afford it.
If he cannot see the hypocrisy of bleating on about his entitlements etc. he’s too ill-informed and ignorant to be a prime minister. He needed to listen to ZB to figure out what was being said. How totally daft!
I hope he is considering his future this weekend because from where 90% of NZders stand, his days as Prime minister are limited. He doesn’t have what it takes.
Benny, did he take a rental investment from said property he owns? If not your comment is irrelevant.
At the moment the people who voted for this 3 headed monster seem to be happy that everything Labour did is getting scrapped and Maori are getting a double bashing.
They are like Trump supporters. Overlook everything bad in his personal life, ignore the nepotism, shrug at the corruption. Why?
Because he was ‘on their side’ and was attacking the Washington swamp.
The crunch will come when the Natz have to deliver. Will the tax cuts come? Will the Wellington swamp be bought under control? Will the gangs be tamed and the dole budgets be put to work?
Either way unless the coalition implodes they should get two terms. It really looks as though Labour have dug themselves a 6 year hole.
Can’t see this lot getting another two terms nah! it’s a fucken shambles at the moment getting rid of policy is one thing but replacing it is another it means you have to do some mahi.
@ peter. Bullshit. And for Christs sake learn to use a fucking thesaurus. I had to. It’s a button. Push it. Follow the instructions.
Two terms, my hairy arse. The governor general should call for an early election and get these fucking parasitic maggots off our backs.
Everything about them is toxic and ugly. Bash the defenceless, starve their kids, tax the poor, tax breaks for the rich. Did you know? Peters gave blow jobs to don brash so I read somewhere, seymour has no belly button and must lie in the sun to warm up before he can slither after his big bad blood-daddy roger bum-spatter douglas. Luxon’s a dumb stooge to make those whom we thought were far too dumb to look smarter. He’s as thick as a concrete cucumber which doesn’t stop him from being rich which is what? Having more than you could spend while others have less than they need? That doesn’t sound like a Prime Minister, that sounds like a complete cunt on our $470 K to me.
Plus expenses. ( eye roll)
Heehee, CB upset….
Another 2 possibly 3 terms in opposition for your mates, their own fault, as ‘upsidedown’ says, they showed more support towards 0.03% of the population than the actual core voter base, they won the pissing contest but lost the election.
Idiot right, this government has shown the public distain and Luxon is so fat out of his depth he’s in a puddle A one term only government if that. Their corruption will take care of that and the NZ public know already they were duped by this narcissistic government.
Exactly this. The left have fucked up big time. So fucking frustrating. Next time for the love of god put competent people on the list who can actually get shit done. I’m so done with the meaningless woke activist theatre – it means nothing to those struggling and achieves nothing politically useful apart from winning a pissing up the wall competition within the woke echo chamber!
C’mon, Baldrick only has 7 substantial pads, including the Wellington freehold and a Hawaiian vacation spread, this is all ok, it is within the “rules”–except it is bloody not ok–even Dipton double dipper Bill English was embarrassed in the end when exposed for ripping us taxpayers over his personal Wgtn digs.
Luxury Luxon seems tone deaf–because you can should you?–well he does not give one obviously.
Thinks he is hot shit but is more a warm fart on cold toast. Out of his depth and deserves a good walloping from all non selfish people for this extravagance. Of course the thing with NZ neo liberalism is that a good number of people have been taught to aspire to be just like the shiny bonced pillock!
That’s without even including the additional security costs at an additional location to protect Luxon from having to talk to anyone angry at his support for raping and killing Palestinian babies.
free loading chain smoking gun toting racist arsehole .What an arogant prick this bible bashing hypocrite is
The complete shitshow rolls on.
You will get the usual trolls on here saying it’s ” within the rules” yet unlike Jacinda who froze MPs wages, corrupt Luxon says do as I say not do as I do, you know we are living under a dictatorship.
He is staying in his own apartment which he owns outright, taking 52 grand and telling everyone else the days of handouts are over.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350194489/nz-politics-live-luxon-claims-accommodation-allowance-while-living-wellington
Well we’ve had the Dipton Double Dipper…now we’ve got the “Botany Bludger”!
Now i understand the benefit sanctions. He has to throw 3.5 people off the dole to pay for his own welfare.. They do like to throw the phrase “fiscally neutral”
Can one expect anything different from a neoliberal politician? “Do as I say not as I do” is a common thread over the years. The current iteration is probably the worst in history – just waiting for their ‘policies’ to roll out – oh that’s right they have NONE – all they want is to roll back all the progressive work done over the last six years … after all neoliberalism is about reducing government as much as possible and privatising everything because – it is more efficient – FFS, what a load of shit. Zero evidence for this mindset yet endorsed by the ‘majority’ of dumb fuck kiwis. Wake the fuck up.
Or maybe those break through policies like – no cell phones in schools. Expect more at your peril.
My God, finally a Bob with common sense, intelligent and most of all not a juvenile . Bob the first,middle and last could learn a thing or two but sadly hasn’t the capacity.
Pocket a thousand dollars per week to live in your own mortgage free apartment.
Stay silent while people thrown out of State Housing into in cars and sleep under bridges, and he’s too delicate to live in a stately mansion. Lets it remain vacant.
It’s what jesus would do. Brian Tamaki should go to Luxon for a few tips on grifting.
Ethically and morally bankrupt. Time for a snap election!
FFS Gus, do you know what a snap election even is and how they happen??
And have you seen the latest polling?
The left are polling worse rhan they were at the election!
Lol, idiot
The appalling ignorance of Gus never fails to astound.
Bob claiming to be superior to most New Zealanders is abhorrent,childish.
Bob the first claiming to be superior to most New Zealanders is abhorrent,childish.
Add to that rather unintelligent, ignorant and illiterate.
I do know an idiot when one responds with stupid comments, thank you for that.
So clearly you agree with me about Luxon, as you made no attempt to defend him.
Proving to be a despotic government in just about every way, with something vile and cruel arising from the rotten, fetid bowels of Natz each day so far this year! Might be in the rules as thieving Luxon says, but it’s neither moral nor fair and he knows this!
The failed CEO has proven to be utterly spineless since conning his way into office.
Now adds ‘untrustworthy’ & ‘hypocrite’ to his CV.
Is the man totally clueless?
The Botany Bludger it is!
Talk back inspired flip flop costs pm 52k
Yeah, more of those business type people running the country is what we all need. lol
A flip flop because he was caught!
Jordan cocksuckers from the right wing Tax payers union had the audacity to support Luxon by saying his only mistake was to not invest in improving parliament house! Time to shut down the tax paying Tax payers union as Jordan cocksucker is corrupt.
He’s paid it back. End of outrage and pathetic faux drama from the left.
That’s a classic response. Most normal people would question how someone can be so adamant on an issue and hours later totally cave. This guy is an idiot. Don’t give me your left/right bollocks, have some actual expectations.
Jonzie pull ya head out of ya faux drama arse.
Why make comment if it’s over? You have simply kept it going idiot! It’s far from over, voters don’t forget being crapped on.
Coalition Government:
We demand cuts in spending to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
We are going to increase poverty to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
We are going to bash and brutalise beneficiaries if they don’t find work – even if the can’t – to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
We will enact legislation to disempower unions so that they are not able to stand up for employees, especially low-paid employees, because we want to keep wages low – to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
We will keep food prices high and therefore increase the population of hungry children – to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
We will re-introduce the 90-day trial period in employment so that our business mates can exploit employees, including those on low wages and then get rid of them, no questions asked – to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
Through Winston, we will keep the conspiracy theorists alive and kicking, to justify the [so called] tax cuts.
We will brutally punish parents if their kids do not attend school – even though most of those kids are working to financially support their parents and family- to pay for the [so called] tax cuts.
We wholly endorse and encourage redundancies in government departments to pay for the [so called] tax cuts…and we don’t care about the hundreds of employees who lose their jobs.
In essence, we demand BELT TIGHTENING from everyone and we lead by example.
But………………………….
It is totally ok for our leader Chris Luxon to claim the $52,000.00 allowance for living in an apartment he owns anyway. He now says he will repay $13,000.00, which means he still gets $39,000.00 over an above his salary and other allowances.
How obscene. How self-entitled and arrogant. How ignorant. What an insult to all New Zealanders.
Correction to my comment – “He now says he will repay $13,000.00, which means he still gets $39,000.00 over an (sic) his salary and other allowances.”
He repays the $13,000.00 he has already received and won’t continue to claim. But, the rest of what I say stands.
Does Luxon know that the sickness and invalids benefits are now rolled into jobseeker? Will now contract Serco to ramp up the suicide rate for the disabled and sick through bogus ‘fitness’ tests. Just like in the UK. Democratically elected with a mandate sociopath clown posse.
Alan Luxon doesn’t know if he’s in Hawaii or Te Puke! Why would he begin to want to know about what “beneficiaries ” look like. He’s already proven corrupt.
People are now starting to realise the brilliance of Dame Jacinda Ardern.
It should be remembered that if this had not been made public he would have continued to pocket the money as he is as he said I am ” entitled ” to it.
No one should be surprised. He is a taker not a giver.
” So much for “I think if I can pay, I should pay”. But I guess things just look different when you’re in government, and there are expenses to rort. But when he’s trying to talk about the cost of living, its utterly tone deaf – not to mention toxic – to be rorting more than a minimum wage worker is paid to live in your own fucking house.”
But of course he doesn’t see this as wrong or problematic in any way, because the fundamental ideology of conservativism is that there is one rule for them and one rule for us dirty peasants. He’s simply making his contempt for ordinary people crystal clear.
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-prime-hypocrite.html
Luxon is the Trump of NZ politics, he is completely oblivious to the morale implications of his actions. His actions now in returning the the allowance is like a kid caught with his hand in the lolley jar.
That he (LuxFlake) could say (correctly) that claiming the allowance was legit showed that he really has no sense of empathy. It never occurred to him that there were bigger issues at stake. How low must we sink.
No such thing as a free lunch.
I guess the Tax Payers Union will be withdrawing their support for Luxon.
And Seymour will be demanding all the other parties help him change the rule.
He’s paid it back. End of outrage and pathetic faux drama from the left.
” He’s paid it back. End of outrage and pathetic faux drama from the left. ”
Outrage is all we have cause your mates have sold and stolen everything else.
Oh and the ” left ” is dead. The rest of us see this behaviour and call it out.
Repeated comments still doesn’t make what Luxon did right you idiot.
Hey!
He says it’s an ENTITLEMENT! And he is well within his rights.
Silly us.
Luxon proved (to any clear thinking kiwi) today that being PM is just a job to him and he should be compensated accordingly. At least key supposedly donated his pay to charity. Every PM in the last 50 years has had a passion for the job and, while the money is nice, did it to serve NZ. This clown just proved he’s a middle manager that’s bluffed his way to the top. If there was any doubt before…. As the guy on the news said today, he didn’t forgo the subsidy because it was morally wrong, he paid it back because he was found out.
lets not forget the Botany Bludger is renting his own Botany electorate office which he owns and claiming $45,000 for the privilege from parliamentary services for it . Once again milking the public purse.
Simply corrupt.
I’m not too sure that i have a problem with that. An electorate office is core govt business and a local MP contact point for constituents. It’s not the same as a campaign office where its about the party. I do have a problem however if, the two get confused during elections but that goes both ways, left and right mp’s.
He’s a bloody idiot. Government House is a great old character building, and if Queen Elizabeth 2 could use electric bar heaters in her’s, there’s nothing to stop this philistine from doing the same. The surroundings around Thorndon Hill are peaceful and idyllic, better than central London, green, as good as up in Balmoral, and it’s not like he has to mow the lawns himself or weed the pansies. No bothersome neighbours.
He’s a bloody idiot. A first class PR opportunity to eschew claiming his tax payer rent entitlement living in one of his own properties but presumably his materialist advisors are as idiotic as he is. They just don’t get what’s going on out in the real world, nor do they care. The money is chicken feed for a rich man, but he’s just too damn mean and couldn’t give a tinker’s damn about grabbing at the crumbs from the tables of the poor. Not the Jesus way at all.
This was a silly thing to do and I hope it will not be repeated.
It does hilight the difference between NZ and USA. Our PM backs down even though he was not breaking any rules but in USA you can lie ,steal,commit fraud, sexually assault incite a revolt causing 6 deaths and still be in the race to be elected again as President.
I know where I prefer to live
Please stop trying to justify their behaviour by going on about it not breaking any rules.
You know who made up the rules don’t you? It wasn’t the people coming in for food parcels, was it?
It is morally wrong and all MPs should have enough backbone to figure that out for themselves and decide to set good examples to the ‘have nots’ who are being told to live on less.
Yes, I agree to whoever pointed out that he only stopped accepting the entitlement because it was questioned.
Newshub followed that story with another one about a woman who was being denied accommodation for herself and her 24 hour caregiver, by ACC.
When questioned ACC said, Nooooo, they’d never do that to someone who’d had the lower half of their body amputated!
But they had. They’d done it and it was only when the matter was raised in high places that it was reconsidered. The woman and her caregiver had probably been through weeks of uncertainty and worry already.
It still wasn’t settled completely though. She had to apply for something!!!! Why? She was still disabled as any fool could see.
Also let’s hear less about people going to WINZ, ‘they all know their entitlements’, rubbish.
They have to because Winz isn’t there to put them wise and they don’t have tax and accounting consultants to assist them.
Same can now be said for our spoilt, childish prime minister, ‘He knows his entitlements!!!’
It’s all over folks. Luxon had merely expressed himself incorrectly.
I take it, given Trevor and Bob the Firsts radio silence, even the fanboy entourage are scratching their heads on this one. Old Christopher is rock solid in his convictions….for at least five minutes
See above
I do admire someone who own up to their mistakes what ever the reason
Haha haha haha haha haha
This is sooooooo funny Trevor.
Bloody hell. You have no idea, do you?
He was very comfortable charging the taxpayer $45K annual rent for his Botany office which he owns as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSjQqM6ZYw
I see he has recanted. How blind was he not to have seen the optics!
Well Tom, the excuse is his advisors are at fault. You and I would think if someone was elected to one of the highest positions in this country they’d have the intellect to work this out for themselves.
Can I suggest he dies nit gave the intellect.
1. Hiring a black Mercedes to travel just across the street?
2 “I’m in Te puke” when actually in Hawaii
And now this.
To use an ACT party analogy, 3 strikes, your out.
I think even Trump lawyers would have tossed it in by now.
Yes Tom and he called it a distraction, not that it was wrong, a bloody distraction!
The optics are he is the worst P.M. we’ve ever had.
The prick doesn’t even work .
All he does is gallivant for appearances and fudge and dodge.
He refuses to hold a portfolio like every other PM before him has done.
ALL HE WANTS IS THE PM TITLE and the KNIGHTHOOD after.
The prick doesn’t deserve either of them.
THE BOTANY BLUDGER the corporate welfare beneficiary on the public purse.
Mike Horse Kings. “A distraction? “ He might be echoing Bill English again who said something to the effect that “ it was not a good look” when he got caught double dipping. Nothing about right or wrong from either good Christian man. There’ll be others just as bad.
FFS if Premier House is now classed as slumming it then pretty much all of NZ is below the poverty line. How come Chris gets $1000 weekly accommodation allowance without filling out the WINZ application Louise? Or did he fill out the form and present it to your people, obviously proving evidence of hardship in interview? I spent an hour waiting for someone to answer the phone at MSD the other day, just to make an appointment to see some random, faceless, detached government bludger telling me how to live my life while throwing in a threat for good measure. And you and your mates in Parliament strip as much as you can from the taxpayer while preaching restraint and austerity to the rest of us? When your coworker recently told someone to rob a bank to make ends meet she wasn’t joking was she?
Phillida Bunkle did it too, moving into an apartment in Oriental Bay, from her home in Thorndon, which she was living in when I was her student. In the subsequent controversy, she gave up the Orientation Bay place. I understood that she also owned a place up the coast at the time. She was living up the coast when she subsequently she got done for shoplifting wine and coffee, was guilty, and got diversion. Looks like Parliament houses some rather entitled persons.
They are of course saying that “what’s wrong with someone claiming their pay package?” If nothing else, Luxon should realise that it’s really not a good look to be claiming $52,000 a year when many people don’t make that much as a yearly wage. And of course being from the business sector he’s only just realised this and given it up. Honestly the whole idea of business people making great political leaders – you’d think that Trump had cured everyone of this but obviously not.
First the Double Dipper from Dipton. Now the Brutal Budgeteer from Botany:
One for you, two for me.
Cutbacks for you, largesse for me.
You pay for your te reo, I get mine free.
No clean car discount for you, a tesla for me.
Minimum wage for you, $470K for me.
A tent for you, seven houses for me.
High mortgage payments for you, investment property tax deductibility cushioning for me.
(and since interest rates are high, maybe even backdate that tax deductibiltiy hehehe more for me.)
The $1000 per week subsidy that Christopher McMoney Lap-Of-Luxury Luxon was desperate to cling on to,
is actually more than the weekly pay of most bottomfeeders. (40 hrs x $22.70 minimum = $908 weekly)
Obviously the subsidy for out-of-towner politicians, was never designed to be paid to those who already owned a house in the capital, and it’s about time these regulations were updated.
Oh but wait just one dog gone minute, the politicians can’t update regulations that apply to them, ahead of updating the sanction system being applied to beneficiaries, because that just wouldn’t be the right and proper neoliberal way of going about things…Christopher I do believe we’re getting the vapors.
Jacinda was able to make do and slum it at Premier house, but that’s too far beneath Christopher’s tastes, without all the necessary modcons befitting someone of his exalted standing. Does a fish rot from the head, or does it show leadership. Christopher could show leadership, by instructing all those coalition MP’s currently claiming the living in Wgtn allowance, to move into premier house, and put premier house to good use, instead of just sitting there. Wouldn’t that save some money? And if his MP’s don’t want to move in, then open it up to the homeless. It’s only just down the road from Loafers Lodge. Surely someone can make use of the place?
A brief comparison to across the ditch – in Aus there’s no means test for the rental supplement for beneficiaries, so that someone paying high rent in Aus, doesn’t need to immediately find a cheaper place, if they lose their job, but have money in the bank.
Unlike in NZ, where the accommodation supplement cuts out if you have more than 9K in the bank. So in NZ, you only get help with accommodation, once your money falls below 9K. This is basically an impoverishing system, but become a NZ politician and you can get $52K top up, no questions asked.
In Aus, it’s now free to use public telephones because it’s seen as an essential service, but in NZ most dairies no longer sell public telephone phone cards, so people don’t bother using public phones anymore, because you can no longer get the cards for them.
Brilliant post InsideOut.