MPs get money to travel around New Zealand and overseas on important business. However, if they take their family overseas and expect the taxpayer to pay, this can cause trouble. Two MPs are in trouble for this. The first one, Rodney Hide, from the ACT party is the Minister of Local Government. He travelled to the UK and North America to find out about government of big cities because Auckland will become a Super City next November. The taxpayer pays for MPs to go on trips like this. However he took his girlfriend with him. He also took her on a holiday to Hawaii. He has now apologised and has paid back the money for her trips.
The second MP in trouble is Hone Harawira from the Maori Party. He was the leader of a group of MPs going to a meeting in Belgium. During the meeting time, he and his wife visited Paris to go sight-seeing. He has not yet apologised for using taxpayer money for sightseeing although he might apologise tomorrow. The Maori Party are not pleased with him. The Prime Minister, John Key is not happy either.
When John Key took his family to the US recently when he went to the United Nations meeting, but he paid for his wife and children from his own money.