$40,000 in repairs for ministerial cars

Ministerial cars clocked up nearly $40,000 in repairs last year - $19,928 for self-drive cars and $19,391 for the fleet of limos.

A Department of Internal Affairs spokesman said most of the cost for the 17 self-drive cars was for normal wear and tear, the Dominion Post reported.

"More often than not, this is an accumulation of small parking scrapes and scuffs to paintwork not attributable to a single accident," the spokesman said.

However, the cars allocated to Justice Minister Simon Power and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples were involved in accidents. Both have $889 insurance excess costs recorded against them.

A spokesman for Mr Power said the damage to his Holden Captiva occurred when his wife pulled over to make room for a car coming the other way on a narrow road. Spouses are permitted to use the cars.

Dr Sharples' office did not respond to requests for information.

Six chauffeur-driven cars were involved in accidents.

- NZPA