Bridges spends $72,000 on travel

National Party leader Simon Bridges spent $72,000 on travel and accommodation in the three months to October – less than his previous whopper bill.

That $113,000 bill was leaked and led to an inquiry process that sparked the JamiLee Ross saga.

Bridges’ bill this quarter is recorded at $75,000 but just over $3000 of that actually came from the previous quarter and was billed late. Just over $47,000 of that bill was for travel by limo.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spent just over $82,000; $23,636 on domestic travel and $58,452 on international travel over the same period.

She repaid $11,206 of that travel personally. The three-month quarter included Ardern’s trip to the United Nations in New York.

The two other ministers with high travel bills were Trade Minister David Parker and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, who each spent over $70,000 on international travel in the quarter, and tens of thousands in domestic travel.

Parker came out on top with a total of $110,183.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford spent the most on domestic travel of any minister – $44,266, followed closely by Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

Bridges spent by far the most of any non-ministerial MP, as is normal for the leader of the Opposition.