'Totally mad': Up to $7m to be spent on new ministerial offices

Key points

The Government is being accused of hypocrisy by Labour as it looks to spend up to $7 million dollars on three new offices for ministers.

The move would force Parliament's restaurant, Bellamys, to downsize and shift location from its current position, on the third level of the Beehive down, to the ground floor.

Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee said the change would help to address overcrowding as other buildings on the precinct site are renovated.

He spoke exclusively to 1News about the details.

Bellamys is a dining experience that is open to the public and boasts a view of Parliament's forecourt. Located next door is Pickwicks Bar which is for MPs and staff.

But there are plans to relocate both to the ground floor which would reduce the restaurant in size by around a quarter.

Brownlee said: "The Bellamys restaurant itself and then of course the Pickwicks bar, the latter two can go down on the ground floor in close proximity to the big commercial kitchen.

“Some will be upset by that, but look you've just got to go with it when you have these tight circumstances.”

The tight circumstances he is referring to is the accommodation squeeze at Parliament.

The change to the current layout would make way for three new ministerial suites at a cost of up to $7 million dollars.

ACT leader David Seymour wasn’t impressed with the cost.

“That price seems totally mad,” he said.

The Speaker said it was fine: “It's really just a flash house in an Auckland suburb.”

But Labour leader Chris Hipkins disagreed - suggesting the spending was scandalous.

“It's hugely hypocritical,” he said.

“This is the Government spending millions of dollars for fancy new offices for three Government ministers, at a time when they've cut back funding for school buildings, they've cut back funding for new state houses."

Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she was confident in the spend.

“Treasury's view was that this proposal represented a pragmatic approach that would save the Government money. It would only be on that basis that I would sign it off."

However, Seymour remains perplexed by the change.

“I'd be a bit uneasy spending that much money when, certainly as far as we're concerned, we've got offices that are good enough for the job,” he said.

Accommodation throughout Parliament is under a tight squeeze.

Earthquake strengthening has left both the old Press Gallery offices and Bowen House, formerly used by MPs, out of action.

Offices in the southern library are also off-limits. While construction is underway for a new building out back of Parliament, it won't be complete for another two years.

Brownlee said a lot of the back office staff have already moved into accommodation down on The Terrace in Wellington.

“But we now have 123 MPs with all their staff pretty much crammed into the Beehive and the Parliament buildings, so space around the place is absolutely at a premium."

The Bellamys restaurant originated when Parliament was established in the 1850s and has been viewed by some as a Wellington icon.

“What does it mean for Bellamys as an institution being moved on and closed down in some areas?” former MP Peter Dunne asked.

He said the current situation was a result of successive governments failing to “bite the bullet” when it came to accommodation issues.

“You can only recall some years ago there was that proposal to shift the Beehive around behind and complete the existing building in a more modern way. That was rejected," Dunne said.

“Parliament, because of public pressure, has never really solved its problems. Now the earthquake strengthening has become a much greater problem, [and] with more MPs it’s become a much greater problem.

“Having said all of that the public will be weary, and rightfully so, and will expect a good justification and full transparency of what’s happening before they buy into it."

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