McCully's explanations sounding increasingly hollow

Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s justifications for using RNZAF aircraft to fly to Vanuatu at great expense to the taxpayer, are sounding increasingly hollow, Labour MP for Mt Albert David Shearer says.

“Minister of Defence Wayne Mapp has confirmed that the $75,000 estimated cost to taxpayers was in fact correct. Dr Mapp informed Parliament that fuel costs alone for the flights were in excess of $61,000.

“Dr Mapp has shown that Murray McCully misled the media and New Zealand when he claimed that the estimated $75,000 of the flights was inaccurate.

“Today Murray McCully claimed that he was forced to use RNZDF aircraft so he could return to New Zealand for an important series of meetings. Meetings that were so important that when media questioned him as to what they were he could not remember.

“A quick review of commercial flights has shown that Mr McCully had options to take one of these at a maximum cost of $4000.

“It’s time for Mr McCully to front up and explain his actions to the New Zealand public. What was the full cost of taking these flights? Who else travelled with him? What other missions were possibly postponed to meet his demands for an RNZDF aircraft? What time was his ‘important’ meeting that he had to return for?

“Minister of Defence Wayne Mapp told Parliament under questioning that he had personally asked Murray McCully to consider options other than using air force planes to go to the Pacific Islands.

The National Government clearly believes it can squander taxpayer money to fund personal flights on our Air Force while at the same time asking ordinary New Zealanders to tighten their belts. That’s simply not fair,” David Shearer said.