MP Travel Expenses
All travel spending (2008-2025)
$118.1M
$47.6M
40% of total
$70.5M
60% of total
30
-94.2%
Travel Expenses Over Time
Air and surface travel breakdown by year
Air Travel by Party
All years combined
$20.9M
avg $157,290 per MP
$15.6M
avg $142,739 per MP
$4.2M
avg $145,688 per MP
$2.5M
avg $138,895 per MP
$1.9M
avg $170,425 per MP
$1.5M
avg $86,072 per MP
$492,930
avg $61,616 per MP
$286,231
avg $143,116 per MP
$278,377
avg $278,377 per MP
Party Air Travel Over Time
Annual spending by political party
Key Insights
Understanding the air travel data
Government vs Opposition
Parties in government typically have higher air travel costs due to:
- Ministers' official overseas travel for trade, diplomacy, and international conferences
- More frequent domestic travel for government business and consultations
- Prime Minister and senior ministers represent NZ at international summits
COVID-19 Impact (2020-2021)
Air travel expenses dropped significantly during COVID-19 due to border closures, travel restrictions, and the shift to virtual meetings. This is visible as a dip in the chart for all parties during 2020-2021, followed by recovery in 2022-2023.
Prime Minister Travel
Prime Ministers typically have the highest individual air travel costs due to international summits, bilateral meetings, and representing NZ abroad.
Average Per-MP Spending
Smaller parties may show higher per-MP averages because they have fewer MPs, and a single high-traveling MP (like a party leader or minister) has a bigger impact on the average. Te Pāti Māori and Mana, for example, have MPs who travel extensively for community engagement across the country.
Air vs Surface Travel
Air travel dominates MP expenses (~40% of total) due to:
- New Zealand's geography - long distances between Auckland, Wellington, and regional electorates
- Frequent Wellington travel for Parliament sessions
- International travel for ministers and select committee members
Surface travel (~60%) includes taxis, rental cars, mileage reimbursements, and VIP transport services. MPs from regional electorates often have higher surface travel costs for constituency work.
Top Travelers (All Types)
MPs with highest career travel expenses
| Rank | Name | Party | Total | Air | Surface | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir John Key | National | $2.2M | $358,520 | $1.8M | 9 |
| 2 | Judith Collins(Current) | National | $1.8M | $460,034 | $1.3M | 16 |
| 3 | Bill English | National | $1.5M | $382,546 | $1.1M | 10 |
| 4 | Gerry Brownlee(Current) | National | $1.4M | $592,949 | $843,458 | 17 |
| 5 | Jacinda Ardern | Labour | $1.3M | $350,689 | $921,763 | 13 |
| 6 | Andrew Little | Labour | $1.2M | $450,927 | $797,173 | 13 |
| 7 | David Parker(Current) | Labour | $1.2M | $630,815 | $590,142 | 16 |
| 8 | Pita Sharples | Te Pāti Māori | $1.2M | $297,558 | $856,109 | 6 |
| 9 | Dr Nick Smith | National | $1.1M | $558,775 | $585,547 | 13 |
| 10 | David Carter | National | $1.1M | $423,408 | $712,976 | 12 |
| 11 | Louise Upston(Current) | National | $1.1M | $442,013 | $687,634 | 14 |
| 12 | Simon Bridges | National | $1.1M | $467,474 | $659,951 | 12 |
| 13 | Paula Bennett | National | $1.1M | $370,458 | $729,664 | 12 |
| 14 | Anne Tolley | National | $1.0M | $433,777 | $597,073 | 12 |
| 15 | Nanaia Mahuta | Labour | $1.0M | $408,420 | $621,195 | 14 |
| 16 | Todd McClay(Current) | National | $1.0M | $431,428 | $597,543 | 15 |
| 17 | Damien O'Connor(Current) | Labour | $1.0M | $411,463 | $615,970 | 13 |
| 18 | Jacqui Dean | National | $987,244 | $347,032 | $640,211 | 13 |
| 19 | Tariana Turia | Te Pāti Māori | $970,587 | $216,077 | $754,510 | 6 |
| 20 | Phil Twyford(Current) | Labour | $962,094 | $383,085 | $579,009 | 15 |
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Data sourced from Parliamentary travel records. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@nzxplorer.co.nz.
For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.