Cabinet votes for taxpayers to pay for travel for their nannies

Claire Trevett reports:

The Herald has learned that after Ardern became Prime Minister, the guidelines for ministers’ overseas travel set by the Cabinet Office were reviewed and changed.

The rules are not set by the Cabinet Office. They administer them. The rules are set by Cabinet.

They now allow a minister with a young infant to take someone other than a partner to care for that child or for a minister with a disability to take a support person if needed.

Ardern said she had not sought the change for parents of babies and did not intend to use the extra entitlement herself. She would only allow it for other ministers in “exceptional circumstances.”

So why only for Ministers? Why do Ministers deserve to have taxpayers pay for nannies to fly with them, but no one else in the public service?

How about Public Service Chief Executives? Why shouldn’t they get nannies to travel with them if they have young children. Or Deputy CEs? Or Principal Policy Analysts? Or all staff?

Why should only Ministers get the taxpayer to pay for travel for their nannies?

Is the $300,000 salary not enough?

John Key as PM basically banned Ministers from taking their partners on overseas travel. Labour is saying you can take your nanny and charge it to the taxpayer.

I have no problem with the PM having their partner attend overseas events at taxpayer expense. It is expected.

But if there is a case for Ministers to have taxpayers pay for nannies to fly overseas with them, then why do only Ministers get this paid for? Many public servants do far more overseas travel than Ministers. Do they get taxpayer funded nanny travel if they have young children?

UPDATE: Even worse the Government has kept this hidden. They haven’t updated the Cabinet Manual or published a Cabinet Circular with the new rule. There was no pro-active release of this change.