Rodney Hide's other holiday perk
NZPA
Relevant offers
Politics
Act MP and "Perk-buster" Rodney Hide has repaid the $10,000 cost for a tax-payer funded private holiday he took with his girlfriend in Hawaii.
The Act leader, already under scrutiny after taking Louise Crome on a ministerial trip to Europe and America in September, also took her on a holiday to Hawaii in July, the Weekend Herald reported.
Mr Hide repaid the money without publicly revealing anything about the holiday this week.
A spokeswoman for Mr Hide told the newspaper Ms Crome had gone to Hawaii using the "holidays perk" - a 90 per cent subsidy MPs and their partners get on private international travel.
"He booked the flights through parliamentary travel but after reflecting on that decision over the last week or so, he decided to repay the full cost of the Hawaiian airfares."
He had repaid the $10,022.40 cost of the flights this week.
Ms Crome's flights to Europe and America cost about $12,000, on top of the $26,872 for Mr Hide's ministerial travel.
Mr Hide has been heavily criticised for using the perk to take Ms Crome with him.
Using the MPs perk allowed Mr Hide to get around a directive by Prime Minister John Key that ministers wanting to take partners on international travel should pay for it themselves.
Sponsored links
'I wish I could take the pain away'
Injured tourist rescued from Tararuas
One dead in crash south of Kaikoura
Tougher sentences for 'sadistic' robbers
Gunman's partner seeks ACC payout
Army bomb victim 'a good Kiwi bloke'
Memorial service for shooting victim
Petition launched for Auckland-Hamilton commuter trains
Hundreds march over government inaction
Families head to France to remember Air NZ crash victims
Hundreds march over government inaction
Memorial service for shooting victim
Mother of separated twins: 'We don't want them back'
All Blacks wary of loading English gun
Sleepwalker found not guilty of wife's death
World Cup party's over for Phoenix
Oprah says ending show 'feels right'
Police officer killed as floods devastate UK
Miley Cyrus tour bus overturns, one dead
European football match-fixing ring exposed
Nice Kiwi blokes - shame about the women
'Brainless' stunt by NZ 'idiots' a global sensation
Miley Cyrus tour bus overturns, one dead
Praying for Ben after explosion
Mother of separated twins: 'We don't want them back'
Kiwi Kevin Percy claims Harry Potter castle
Women pay top dollar for evening with bachelor
Nice Kiwi blokes - shame about the women
Rokocoko to play against All Blacks
As Henry shows, footballers can't be trusted
$450,000 march is political manipulation