Green MP Tamatha Paul is unhappy at how some MPs have used their accommodation allowance. Photo / Mark Mitchell
In her speech, Paul said Act Party MP Parmjeet Parmar, who owns the largest number of properties of any MP this term, bought five new houses since the coalition was elected.
National MP Katie Nimon was listed as having bought three residential properties.
“Let’s talk about the National and New Zealand First MPs” Paul said. “Including Grant McCallum, who bought a house in Wellington, so they can pay themselves the accommodation allowance while taxpayers pay their mortgage off.”
Clips of the speech were posted by Paul to TikTok and Instagram, with the former version attracting more than one million views.
McCallum corrected the record in the House, denying he had purchased a property in Wellington and was paying it off with the accommodation allowance.
National’s Northland MP Grant McCallum has corrected the record in the House. Photo / NZME
McCallum later took to Facebook to deny the allegations again.
“I did buy another home in Paihia. The reason is simple. It was so I had somewhere to stay when I was working in the mid and far north of my electorate. I do not rent it out,” the post said.
He said his own investment in the property saved taxpayers money because he didn’t need to stay in motels when he travelled to the Far North.
McCallum requested Paul apologise for the mistake, “preferably in Parliament”.
In a statement request, Newstalk ZB asked Paul whether she planned to apologise to McCallum.
A copy of his assets declared in pecuniary interests were included in the request, which didn’t list property in Wellington.
The statement Newstalk ZB received listed a number of donations from “the property industry” the coalition received during the 2023 election, which Paul said were “all on the public record”.
Paul also included that landlords received a “$2.9 billion tax cut” since interest deductibility was reinstated.
“National can play games through the media if they want, but the Green Party stands by calling out their record on housing and who’s actually benefiting from it,” the statement said.
It did not include any mention of McCallum or his request for an apology.
Paul declined Newstalk ZB’s requests for an interview.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is happy to move on from her colleague’s comments during a debate. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Newstalk ZB followed up with Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick.
Davidson said the record had been corrected and was happy for the issue to be left at that.
“In the heat of the moment in the chamber, things are often said off the cuff by MPs across the House,” she said.
This morning Greens co-leader Marama Davidson was challenged over whether the Greens believed mis- and dis-information was bad for political discourse.
“We do, and that has been corrected in the house,” she told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge Today.
“What about online? What about in the court of public opinion? What about the internet?” Bridge pressed.
Davidson responded that the party had “put up the correct information into the dialogue”, though she did not elaborate.
“The principle remains the same – it’s to show how disconnected privileged MPs are from the experiences of ordinary people,” she said.
“Even more so when you can buy a whole extra property and you don’t need any help to pay it off. You can just have an extra property in your back pocket, in your handbag.”
McCallum said he was disappointed the Green Party’s leadership was letting the matter go.
“I think it reflects poorly on them and their leadership.
“The people of New Zealand, they want to hold other politicians to a high standard and have them do it to themselves,” he said.
McCallum said he still believes an apology from Paul would be appropriate.
Troy Matich is a political reporter with Newstalk ZB, working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2025, previously working for RNZ as a producer for Morning Report.