Strong support for Auditor-General inquiry into Wong

Pansy Wong. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Nearly 70 per cent of New Zealanders want the Auditor-General to investigate National MP Pansy Wong's travel expenses.

Mrs Wong this week resigned from Parliament, effective from January 17, saying she was concerned allegations of misuse of taxpayer-funded travel would hurt the National government.

She earlier stood down from Cabinet over the allegations and said yesterday the ongoing controversy had become a distraction for the Government.

An inquiry, commissioned by Speaker Lockwood Smith and carried out by consultant Hugh McPhail, looked into travel by Mrs Wong and her husband Sammy Wong. It found only one instance of travel that involved a business deal, while they were in China on a taxpayer-subsidised trip.

Labour had called for Auditor-General Lyn Provost to investigate the case, but she announced last week that she had decided not to.

However, a Horizon Poll of 1150 intending voters, taken over the two days following Mrs Wong's resignation, shows 67 per cent want the Auditor-General to investigate.

The push for an investigation isn't limited to those on the other side of the political spectrum; 57.2 of those who voted National at the last election want an inquiry, as do 51.3 per cent of ACT voters and 63.3 per cent of Maori Party voters.

More than 40 per cent of those surveyed believe Mrs Wong resigned because there was more information to come out, while 18.8 per cent believe Prime Minister John Key has been "less than totally honest" on the issue.

A by-election will be held in Mrs Wong's east Auckland electorate of Botany on March 5.

The poll, taken on December 15 and 16, has a margin or error of 2.8 per cent.

- NZPA