Reaction: Hide's constituents speak out

Rodney Hide. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Nzherald.co.nz hit the suburban streets of Rodney Hide's Epsom electorate today to gauge reaction to recent controversies surrounding the Minister.

Hide has been criticised for taking his partner on a tax-payer funded $50,000 trip to Europe and North America, timed to coincide with his partner's brother's wedding.

Hide also apologised to Prime Minister John Key after comments made at a breakfast meeting in Christchurch in which he said Mr Key "doesn't do anything" and was highly regarded, while "ACT did everything and we are hated".

This is what some of his constituents had to say:

Marjory Lewis, nurse

I'm not impressed. He's my MP and I am not impressed at all. I think he should not be spending the money taking his partner with him - he should be reviewing what he's doing with his spending under the circumstances of the country.

The comments [about John Key] were unfounded. They weren't very helpful.

Richard Hyde, retired

Obviously he has a bit of a cheek to do that. Politicians are a very average lot so there has got to be some attraction somewhere to go out and do that for five years or four years and then get voted out. Yes it does sound worse than I think it probably is so I am very sympathetic to the guy - there's got to be some bonus from being in Parliament.

Robert Allport, technician

He's treading on dangerous ground probably. He's campaigning one thing and now he's having a slice of the action himself, so it's a bit suspect really.

Frank, golfer

It's very disappointing. He was a good guy, I thought, but then he turned out to be an a*****e.

[The comments were] totally incorrect, but you should be talking about old Hone Harawira too.

Chris Prudence, ex-student

It's a bloody disgrace, they're calling for a revolution on talkback. There has been an outcry on talkback for the whole week. Rodney, I can understand him wanting to have a personal life, but I think John Key has also misunderstood the subtleties of the MP's perks, not the ministerial perks.

I don't think [his comment about John Key] was aimed at his politics, I think it was aimed at the fact he doesn't go tramping or cross country skiing like Helen Clark. [Key] Doesn't seem to have any hobbies or interests.