Two Mt Albert by-election contenders have made public how they spend their taxpayer funded allowances.
Sunday newspapers have been questioning New Zealand MPs about their spending in the wake of a scandal in Britain over expenses.
Daily reports and embarrassing headlines detail the way MPs from Labour and the Conservative parties have used the system to claim for dog food, light bulbs, work on their houses and porn movies.
In New Zealand details of ministerial expenses were subject to the Official Information Act although MPs' expenses were not.
Today Green co-leader Russel Norman and ACT list MP John Boscawen agreed to give details to the Herald on Sunday.
Dr Norman:
* Spends $340 a week to rent his Wellington house with partner Katya Paquin, who is also employed full-time by the Greens in Parliament. As Wellington is his home he cannot claim accommodation expenses.
* Ms Paquin sometimes accompanies Dr Norman on out-of-town trips and the pair spent $15,828 in publicly-funded air travel in the first four months of this year.
* Dr Norman spent $3794 on taxis and hire cars, but has not claimed any taxi and accommodation expenses in the Mt Albert campaign. In Wellington he prefers to use the bus but uses taxis after services stop.
Dr Norman said his travel expenses may be higher than many other MPs, because as co-leader of the Greens he is required to attend events and meetings around the country.
He would also have spent sums of more than $500 on some office equipment.
John Boscawen:
* The Auckland-based MP paid $160 a night to stay in the Bolton St Hotel, three minutes' walk from Parliament.
* $3500 in hotel expenses in the first five months after the election. He expects to claim up to $6000 on Wellington accommodation expenses this financial year, which ends next month.
* Domestic air travel of up to $13,000, including regular travel between Auckland and Wellington, and two trips to Christchurch. Two return trips to Wellington by Jane were included.
* Business class flights to Vietnam and Japan last month as a member of the Speaker's Tour, at an estimated public cost of $10,000.
* Mr Boscawen did not know how many items costing more than $500 he would buy for a new Auckland office.
National Party Mt Albert candidate Melissa Lee declined to reveal her spending while Labour's candidate David Shearer is not yet an MP.
Other Green MPs have agreed to disclose their expenses.
Act Party leader Rodney Hide has promised to disclose his expenses and is expected to talk to the other three Act MPs about doing the same.
