Well that was short lived. Less than two week’s into the job and National's new MP, Harete Hipango, has been accused of misusing taxpayer money.
According to a National Party staff member the anti-abortionist used her Parliamentary expense account to purchase numerous furnishings for her own house, which is a gross breach of the rules that under normal circumstances would lead to a resignation.
Today, the NZ Herald reported:
National MP who faced allegations of inappropriate spending revealed as Harete Hipango
The NZ Herald reported on Monday morning that a National Party MP was facing allegations of inappropriate spending of taxpayer money, which both the National Party, Parliamentary Service, and the MP themselves were refusing to comment on.
Sources inside the National Party have told the Chronicle that a staff member of the MP flagged a concern in the last term of Parliament, alleging items of furniture were bought out of the MP's taxpayer funds but did not appear in the office.
The allegations surround a purchase of some furniture, including a new television, which allegedly were delivered and kept in Hipango's own home.
It is also understood the cost of a sofa the MP bought for the office at Parliament was also questioned, and the MP was told to return it.
Hipango was approached on multiple occasions over previous days about the allegations but has gone to ground, not answering questions on the matter.
I bet she has. You’ve got to wonder why the current leader of the National Party, Judith Collins, would allow Hipango to become an MP in the first place? Collins' mistake means we now have a new scandal to confirm that the blue “team” is untrustworthy and in complete disarray.
Hipango, who is best known for incorrectly accusing the Prime Minister of backing full-term abortions, was recently made an MP after National Party old boy Nick Smith retired under dubious circumstances.
At the time, many commentators speculated that Collins might have lied to Smith about an impending publication concerning an argument he had with another National Party staff member, in order to get him to resign. If that’s the case, then allowing Hipango to take his place knowing that she too had serious accusations of impropriety lodged against her is a political misstep of gargantuan proportions.
However, being that Collins appears to have gone out of her way to ensure Hipango’s ascendancy, it’s doubtful whether any request for a resignation, let alone an apology, will be made or forthcoming for Hipango’s apparent misuse of taxpayer funds.
Whatever happens, I'm sure that the Taxpayers' Union will as usual remain completely silent about any misspending by right wing politicians. After all, the rules apparently weren't written for them.
