$200,000 spruce-up at Vogel House

Meeting and function rooms of Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton's ministerial house are to get a $200,000 spruce up.

The rooms would be painted, and new curtains and carpets would be installed, said Richard Lodge of the Department of Internal Affairs, which is responsible for ministerial homes. He said most of the work could be described as deferred maintenance - ceilings were peeling, curtains were inadequate, the wallpaper was tired and the carpet worn.

The work was valued at about $200,000 and tenders had been called.

It was hoped the work could be completed by June.

The private living areas of Vogel House, used by Mr Anderton and his wife Carole, would not be affected by the maintenance work.

Little work had been done on the interior since the 1970s when Sir Robert Muldoon lived there.

The grounds and gardens had been substantially redesigned and upgraded over the two years since the Andertons moved in.

- NZPA