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Further investigation of ministers' credit card spending has revealed more party leaders have bought interesting items at the taxpayers' expense.
Act leader Rodney Hide is shown to be a fan of mirrors. He bought a new one for his office in order to straighten his tie. Taxpayers paid $20.99 for it from Briscoes, put on the ministerial credit card.
This may be regarded as a little ironic from the self-styled "perk buster".
"Parliament has a culture of spending - that's one of the problems we now face," Hide has said in the past.
Former minister and Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton has also been spending up. He appears to have a real taste for travel with one trip to Austria, Turkey, Ireland, Britain and Europe, costing $100,000.
"It was expensive but it was government business and I don't make any apologies for it," Anderton says when confronted by the expense.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters used to say he was not in it for the baubles of office but plenty showed up on the credit card used by his staff.
Several spa treatments were charged to his credit card, including an $80 sauna while travelling in Europe. He also had a $170 Sapa Happy Care package in the Philippines, where you get to chose between a facial, body scrub or soak in flower petals.
He denies having ever set foot in a beauty spa. Documents show the money was paid back.
Also on Peters' statements were items like cigarettes and duty free goods. He says his staff often bought personal items on the card but that he always paid it back.
Spending by all ministers is being investigated by the auditor general to see whether rules need to change.
"I think there is some quite shocking behaviour in terms of the past. Transparency will focus the minds of those who spend tax payers' dollars," says Prime Minister John Key.
The latest investigation of eight boxes worth of credit card statements show that while a lot of the spending isn't against the rules it's not just Labour leaders whose bills are under scrutiny.
