Sasha Borissenko: The gifts that MPS got and the companies they have an interest in

MPs received clothing, tickets to sporting events and even Covid-19 face masks, according to the 2022 Register of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests. Photo / Mark Mitchell

OPINION:

There's an incredible feature on Buzzfeed of all places written in 2019 that described millennials as the burnout generation. Thanks to the advent of technology it spoke of a desire, nay a need, to be productive every second of the day.

On a wider scale the pandemic felt like a release for some - namely me and my avocado-loving contemporaries. The lockdowns - certainly fraught and tragic for many - also allowed people to take stock and reset.

Two years on and productivity seems to be at an all-time high. I think it stems from the futility and fragility brought on by the pandemic. People are running around like headless chooks in fear that financial stability, security, safety, health, freedom of movement, and social relationships could come to a standstill. And all thanks to a pangolin or was it a bat - I still don't know.

The frantic state of the world has meant we forgot to revel in some of the bizarre and wonderful spending by New Zealand's MPs. Without further ado, here's a fun look at the 2022 Register of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests of New Zealand's members of parliament.

Gifts

If it's free it's for me, or so the saying goes. This year's list is a little ho hum, frankly. I was hoping to see weird and wacky gifts of an R18 quality, or clothes, or cars, or aeroplanes, or even goodie bags. Gifts must only be declared if they're over the value of $500.

Jacinda Ardern gets an honourable mention for failing to take advantage of her position. She may have gotten three Emilia Wickstead garments, which are positively to die for ranging from about $800 on sale to $7000-plus, but her gifts from designers Juliette Hogan and Zoe and Morgan were loaned. I was very excited for a moment there.

The poor thing also got a Christmas gift basket from the Ambassador of Cuba, and we all know there's nothing worse than misc items - fruit cake, dry sangria mix, pickled onions et al.

In true New Zealand fashion she got tickets and corporate hospitality for the New Zealand vs Australia rugby match. Her right hand man, Grant Robertson, went to two rugby games, a cricket game, and a Wellington Phoenix match.

Trevor Mallard got America's Cup, Blues/Chiefs, Women and Men's Rugby, Breakers NZ, NZ Rugby, Sal's NBL, and Netball NZ match tickets and hospitality. A keen member of the MAMIL (middle-aged men in lycra) club also received an entry fee for cycling Tour of New Zealand and a bottle of whisky.

Interestingly Tangi Utikere was gifted course fees from the Parliamentary Education Trust for a postgraduate certificate in public policy. Having a $120,000 student loan myself (a mistake, in hindsight), this is the kind of gift I'm into.

On top of being trapped in New Zealand during the pandemic despite her post as foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta also lost out with just one gift box that included perfumes of all things from the Qatar Government.

Compare this to Melissa Lee, who received miscellaneous items from the Government of the Republic of Korea, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (chopsticks, tea, and spirits), the People's Republic of China (New Zealand wine), and the Pakistan High Commission (a decorative tapestry). She also received Covid-19 masks from Jin Noh. Interesting choice.

Of the art aficionados in parliament, Act's Brooke van Velden got two tickets to Marriage of Figaro, and two tickets to the New Zealand Opera's Ihitai 'Avei'a. Helen White got two tickets to Giselle and two tickets to Firebird/Paquita.

Company directorships and controlling interests

Fun fact, Act's Chris Baillee has an interest in hospitality establishment the Honest Lawyer, National's Chris Bishop has an interest in craft beer company Parrotdog, Labour's Jo Luxton has an interest in hairdressing company Headstart, Act's Toni Severin has controlling interests in a water blasting company, and National's Joseph Mooney has an interest in Mooney Lawyers Limited.

Labour's Naisi Chen has had a busy career, having interests in an event planning company, an employment and business consulting company, and companies in the forestry, information systems technology, seafood, and commodity industries.

The Six60 fan (she was gifted two tickets) also has interests in Fonterra, Genesis Energy, Inghams, Meridian Energy, NZ Windfarms, Rocket Lab USA, Tesla and Trustpower.

Louise Upston also has interests in Rocket Lab. She has interests in biopharmaceuticals, retirement villages, frequency control solutions, and cancer detection device companies.

National's Barbara Kuriger also has an interest in Fonterra. Interestingly she once had controlling interests in a gym franchise in Taranaki. The fitness enthusiast also has interests in companies in the wild boar, forestry, bovine genetics, fertiliser, and dairy farm (three businesses) industries.

Labour's Greg O'Connor has interests in Mercury Energy, Genesis Energy, and Neuren Pharmaceuticals. Adrian Rurawhe has interests in A2 Milk, Air New Zealand, AMP, Auckland International Airport, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Genesis Energy, Trustpower, and Westpac.

Labour's Gaurav Sharma has controlling interests in medical services and medical equipment companies. Like O'Connor, he also has interests in Air New Zealand, Kathmandu, and the Warehouse. Sharma also has interests in building and construction, software, retirement villages (two), agri products, and electronic manufacturers companies.

National's Stuart Smith has been very busy indeed, having interests in Chorus, Contact Energy, Fisher & Paykel, Genesis Energy, Mainfreight, Meridian Energy, NZX, Spark, Vector, Amazon, My Food Bag, Microsoft, Alibaba, Visa, Nestlé, and Oceania Healthcare.

He's also got interests in companies in the wine, pharmaceutical products, transport, financial, hospitality, retirement village, fruit and vegetable, rubber manufacturing, insurance, irrigation, petroleum, investment and biotechnology industries.

I could give a run down of all the MPs that own property, but it's depressing seeing as there are only four - Marama Davidson, Kieran McAnulty, Ibrahim Ome, and Damien Smith - that don't.

The purpose of the register is to record members' interests, thereby providing transparency and strengthening public trust and confidence in parliamentary processes and decision making. Does it do that? I think so! And what a fun read it was.