New Zealand political leaders defended Tuesday a taxpayer-funded farewell trip to Europe for four retiring legislators and a fifth who, according to opinion polls, is unlikely to survive an election scheduled for later this year. ( dpa )
Taxpayers will pick up the bill for business class flights for the trip to Poland, Prague and Hungary, via Singapore and Milan, for the five, including an opposition member of parliament suspended from his party's caucus 18 months ago who has not spoken in the House of Representatives for more than a year.
"I don't know much about the purpose," one retiring member of the quintet, Marian Hobbs, of the ruling Labour Party, told The Press newspaper. "I think it will be lovely."
Another Labour member, the Speaker of the House, Margaret Wilson, who is quitting politics at the election to become a university lecturer, will lead the party on the two-week trip.
Other members of the group who are retiring at the election due in November are Brian Connell, an estranged member of the conservative opposition National Party, and his colleague Katherine Rich, who is leaving to spend more time with her children.
The fifth member is Peter Brown, of the nationalist New Zealand First party, which polls indicate is heading for political oblivion at the election.
The Speaker traditionally leads a party of parliamentarians on an overseas tour every year, usually to countries that New Zealand does not have close relations with.
Defending the trip, Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark told reporters, "The key thing is that this is representation of New Zealand. In that sense it doesn't really matter who is doing it, as long as they're members of parliament."
National Party leader John Key said Rich and Connell were the only two of his party's 48 legislators prepared and able to go on the trip.
"I want my MPs who are seeking re-election to be out there working hard on the campaign trail," he said.