MPs' expenses: $7.5m in six months and no regrets

MPs clocked up expenses totalling $7.5 million in the first six months of this year and they're insisting it was money well spent.

Even ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas, who took his wife on an overseas holiday, had no regrets about putting 90 percent of the airfares on taxpayers.

He told reporters he gained that entitlement as a former MP in the 1980s.

"I was spending time with my son and grandchildren," he explained before he started to lose patience with questions about whether it was a good idea during a recession.

"Listen my friend, this is a right that Helen Clark has, Jim Bolger, it's something I would have been able to do whether I was an MP or not," said Sir Roger.

He topped the chart for list MPs with claims totalling $62,663 which included $44,411 for air travel and $11,083 on the roads.

Details of MPs' expense claims were released yesterday for the first time, a response to the uproar in Britain over parliamentary extravagance and intended to show that in New Zealand a more rigorous regime applies.

The big spenders included:

* Foreign Minister Murray McCully was way ahead of the pack with $263,284 for international travel, but that goes with the territory;

* Labour leader Phil Goff was top of the list for MPs outside cabinet. His claims totalled $124,480 which included $79,027 on the road and $35,035 in airfares.

* Labour's Chris Carter had the biggest opposition bill. The Te Atatu MP racked up $57,137 on airfares, $14,476 for surface travel and $10,667 on Wellington accommodation. He didn't front up but his senior colleague Trevor Mallard explained Mr Carter went to China, Britain, the US and Canada as foreign affairs spokesman.

* Police Minister Judith Collins weighed in with an internal travel bill of $131,777. She said it showed how hard she worked.

* Maori MPs were big spenders but their electorates are much larger than general roll seats. Hone Harawira put in claims totalling $79,000 and said it was Maori Party policy to get around and consult the people on big issues.

* The most frugal MP was National's Katrina Shanks -- just $10,242 for six months. She was followed by the Greens' Sue Kedgley on $13,881 and Labour's Winnie Laban with $15,070.