Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Housing plan requires ministers to buy own chattels

Updated at 11:15 am on 21 November 2009

Government ministers will be told to buy their furniture or chattels under new ministerial housing arrangements, or they will be sold.

Documents released under the Official Information Act set out a plan for 17 ministers who must now organise their own arrangements.

The plan takes effect in November, giving ministers not based in Wellington a flat payment of $37,500 a year, or $30,000 if they stay in their own home in the capital.

The documents show 13 ministers who live in rented homes must now negotiate their own leases or find new accommodation.

Six ministers living in official Crown residences in Wellington are not affected by the changes.

Following a stocktake of ministerial residences, some items will be moved to other Crown-owned homes, while the rest will be offered to ministers at market value or auctioned to the public.

The new arrangements are expected to save about $200,000 a year.

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