MP cleared of misusing taxpayer funding

Northland-based New Zealand First list MP Jim Peters has been cleared of any wrongdoing in using his taxpayer-funded flights to attend Northland Regional Council meetings.

The National Business Review last month said Mr Peters used his free parliamentary air travel to fly to Whangarei to attend council meetings.

The matter was passed on to Parliament's powerful Privileges Committee to investigate by NZ First leader Winston Peters, who is Jim Peters' brother.

Parliament's speaker, Jonathan Hunt, has now ruled that Jim Peters had done nothing wrong.

Jim Peters, who gets $25,000 a year as a regional councillor on top of the $140,000-odd salary and entitlements he earns as an MP, said he hoped that would be the end of the matter.

Parliamentary Service finance and entitlements group manager Simon Wall had said he had received no complaints about Mr Peters using his flight entitlements to attend council meetings and he had no problem with the practice.

It was up to MPs how they used their entitlement, and the Parliamentary Service acknowledged some private use occurred among the flights.

- NZPA