What one minister's airport parking bill reveals about MP spending
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
A quirk in ministerial expense reporting has exposed nearly $17,000 in airport parking costs incurred by Children's Minister Karen Chhour, offering a rare glimpse into a category of parliamentary spending that is usually hidden from public view.
Expense records show Chhour's vehicle was parked at Auckland Airport for a combined eight and a half months between February 2024 and February 2026, generating parking charges of $16,686 paid for by taxpayers.
Among the charges was a $630 bill after her vehicle remained in the airport's short-stay parking area for 15 days. On 11 separate occasions, the car was parked in the same short-stay section for five days or longer, each time costing more than $300.
Whether that level of spending is unusual is impossible to know. Most MPs' detailed transport expenses are not publicly available, meaning there is little basis for comparison.
Chhour said she chooses to drive herself to the airport rather than use a Crown car or taxis because it is generally the cheaper option. She lives on Auckland's North Shore, some distance from the airport, and regularly travels throughout New Zealand in her role as Minister for Children.
“When there are opportunities to save, I do, however the schedule of a busy Minister does not always make this possible,” she said.
The figures are visible largely because of the way ministerial expenses are reported, not necessarily because Chhour's overall spending stands out from other ministers.
They nevertheless highlight a wider transparency gap around taxpayer-funded travel at a time when the Government has emphasised spending restraint across the public sector.
The parking bills
All MPs are entitled to taxpayer-funded domestic travel for parliamentary business, including taxis, rideshares, and parking. For MPs who are not ministers, those costs are managed by Parliamentary Service, which is exempt from the Official Information Act.
Their spending is released only as quarterly totals, with no detailed breakdown showing how the money was spent.
Ministers face slightly greater scrutiny because their expenses are managed by the Department of Internal Affairs, which is subject to the Official Information Act. Even then, most travel costs are released only as quarterly totals.
Airport parking is a rare exception. Because it is typically paid for with ministerial credit cards, rather than through the Government's central travel booking system, the costs appear in itemised expense records.
Almost all of Chhour's parking costs came from Auckland Airport's premium short-stay parking facilities, including for extended trips.
In one month in late 2025, her airport parking costs totalled $1376, including a five-day stay that cost $372. A month earlier, her vehicle was parked in the short-stay area for almost seven days at a cost of $440. An Uber to and from her house would typically cost around $160.
Auckland Airport offers cheaper long-stay parking options, and discounts for bookings made in advance, which can substantially lower the cost.
Chhour did not respond to specific questions about her parking choices, but said her role required extensive travel around the country. She said she had visited all 72 Oranga Tamariki frontline sites and offices across New Zealand.
“An important part of being a Minister, especially in such a community focused portfolio, is meeting with community groups and those frontline social workers and case workers who undertake what can often be a thankless job,” she said.
“While all ministers should be mindful of how they are spending taxpayer dollars, and I am, this engagement is invaluable to ensuring that Wellington better supports the rest of the nation.”
While Chhour recorded by far the highest airport parking costs among ministers, she was not the only one to claim parking expenses.
NZ First ministerial under-secretary Jenny Marcroft, who lives north of Auckland, also recorded significant airport parking costs, although at a much lower level than Chhour. In many cases, the charges appear comparable to, or lower than, the likely cost of return taxi trips.
National minister Nicola Grigg has spent almost $5000 on valet parking at Christchurch Airport during the current parliamentary term. However, she has also recorded some of the lowest overall travel and accommodation costs in Cabinet, illustrating the limits of drawing conclusions about ministerial spending from airport parking bills alone.
A wider issue
The disclosures provide only a small window into a much larger system of taxpayer-funded travel.
For most MPs, even airport parking costs are not public. The lack of detailed reporting makes it difficult to judge how MPs travel, whether cheaper options were available, or whether spending represents good value for taxpayers.
Regular MPs have collectively claimed more than $18 million in travel and accommodation expenses during the current parliamentary term. Labour MP Damien O'Connor is the largest claimant at about $340,000, followed by Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi at about $330,000.
At the other end of the scale are Wellington-based MPs who have little need for accommodation or frequent domestic travel. Labour MPs Ayesha Verrall and Greg O'Connor have each claimed about $55,000. The median travel and accommodation expenses claimed by MPs so far this term is around $175,000.
Ministerial costs are generally higher because ministers have access to additional transport arrangements not available to ordinary MPs, including self-drive ministerial vehicles and chauffeur-driven Crown cars.
Those services can cost taxpayers substantially more than airport parking, meaning parking expenses alone provide only a partial picture of a minister's overall travel costs.
The highest-spending minister this term is Shane Jones, whose travel and accommodation costs total about $420,000, followed by Louise Upston on about $400,000. The median ministerial spend on travel and accommodation, excluding international travel, is around $287,000.