As we come to that time of year when the media lightens and brightens year-end with columns of silly-but-fun awards, it is perhaps an occasion to remember the debt New Zealand taxpayers owe to British member of Parliament for Sleaford and North Hykeham, the 3rd Viscount of Hailsham, Douglas Hogg, PC, QC.
Mr Hogg, you might recall, was alleged to have claimed £2200 to have his moat cleaned.
Mr Hogg found himself hoist to prominence as the British media gave him a jolly good pounding for having provided the most extreme example of what The Irish Times described as "petty grifting in high places".
To put Mr Hogg in perspective, the affair of the moat-cleaning was just a small part of what has come to be known as the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal.
Other small examples of "grifting" with taxpayer pounds by other British members of Parliament included tennis court repairs, wisteria moving, lightbulb changing and the purchase of everything from holidays and garden furniture to new kitchens and trouser presses.
But, more than any other petty offender, Mr Hogg took the scandal international, by dint of the unusual and quaint nature of his spending.
And that is where New Zealand taxpayers have Mr Hogg to thank for saving them a few dollars.
The British scandal that broke in May, via a document leaked to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, alerted the New Zealand media to the possibility a similarly juicy story here, not withstanding the country's lack of moats.
In the old days, Rodney Hide, leader of the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers, could have been relied upon to blow the bugle, swing the sword and lead the charge on errant perk claimers.
But, unfortunately, our own self-styled perk-buster was otherwise engaged, perking with his girlfriend in far-away places.
The sight of Mr Hide falling on his sword might have been briefly entertaining, but that is now not the important issue.
The real question is who will take up the cudgels on behalf of taxpayers? The danger is that, as moat cleaning and grovelling apologies from members of Parliament become dimly remembered and minor chapters of history, the perk-claiming status quo will return in a quiet and insidious way.
What New Zealand taxpayers need now to do is press their political leaders not to appoint or encourage another perk-buster, who can be corrupted by power and easy access to taxpayer dollars, but devise a system that ensures this shady side of political remuneration remains constantly within the public gaze.
Britain has provided something of a lead, again, by setting up a new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to scrutinise and manage MPs' expenses at arm's length from the House; dispensing with an historical system of "self-policing".
It is clear from the differing attitudes to allowances by New Zealand MPs that this country does not have a proper system of caring for the taxpayer dollar - one that draws a line and makes it clear when that line has been crossed.
Finance Minister Bill English repaid money not because he believed he was wrong to claim it but because it was "not a good look", while Mr Hide has owned up to "a mistake", expressed his shame at his "casual use" of taxpayers' money and has apparently repaid his girlfriend's expenses.
Trevor Mallard has offered another variation by breezily claiming money for a trip to Britain that will allow him to squeeze in an All Black-England rugby test.
The use of taxpayer dollars is not a matter to be left to an MP's discretion or conscience, and there is a need for clear rules over its use, clear processes for dealing with breaches, and clear penalties.
This week's establishment of the Real Estate Agents Authority is set to bring some order to an industry that has failed to successfully police itself and this new authority holds out the prospect of a better deal for real-estate consumers.
If Parliament can pass laws to protect the public from real-estate agents, then surely it can pass legislation to protect taxpayers from politicians.
Prime Minister John Key will be commended if he follows through with his stated intention of sorting out the mess and bringing about a simple solution that taxpayers can have faith in.
But, until that occurs, taxpayers must continue to question members of Parliament about the spending of their money while, perhaps, during lighter moments, speculating on which New Zealand grifter best deserves a Hogg Award.
