New government BMWs were part of a contract the former Labour Government signed up to and more expensive models were chosen because of a fuel efficiency "fad," Finance Minister Bill English says.
New government BMWs were part of a contract the former Labour Government signed up to and more expensive models were chosen because of a fuel efficiency "fad," Finance Minister Bill English says.
The Green Party says it is outrageous the government is selling its three-year-old fleet of 34 luxury limos and replacing it with new BMWs, at a time when ministers are telling others to save money.
The new cars sell commercially for about $200,000 each but the government gets a discount for bulk buying. The actual cost is not being stated, for commercial reasons.
Green's co-leader Metiria Turei said Prime Minister John Key and his ministers were always telling New Zealanders they had to tighten their belts and had said the Government was doing the same.
"When John Key is cutting staff and creating unemployment in order to apparently tighten the Government's belt, this kind of spending is an outrage," she said.
Mr English told Radio New Zealand that the contract was signed by Labour in 2007 and expired in 2014 and the changeover of cars was part of it.
"It's a bit rich from the Greens because one of the reasons the Labour government bought the BMWs was because they were meant to reduce carbon emissions, they were meant to be the most fuel efficient cars even though their capital cost might have been higher than other options," he told Radio New Zealand.
"I think it does show that being driven by a fad, which at the time was to have lower carbon emissions, means that you can make decision – which were made by the previous government – turn out more expensive than they expected."
Mr English said when the contract came up for renewal the Government would see if there was a better deal and probably a "more mainstream model of car". He said breaking the contract and paying penalties but still needing to buy new cars might leave the Government worse off.
"The electorate always thinks that politicians are pampered, overpaid, and far too well looked after and I don't think that's going to change.
"I don't think a government in the current recession would decide to pick a luxury brand car with all those extra bits...whatever the value for money."
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