Hunt’s Pension

Even the Greens, not known for commenting much on these sort of issues, have said that Jonathan Hunt’s inquiries into getting a UK pension, while serving as the NZ High Commissioner to the UK, is embarrassing.

I can just see the headlines in the UK tabloids. “NZ High Commissioner receiving over $200,000 a year claims pension off UK Government – meanwhile Mrs Jones survives on $10,000 a year after losing her husband in the Gulf War”.

I’m not one to say one should turn down cash you are entitled to, but when you are the representative of a foreign government, it would seem politically very unwise to even consider claiming payments from the country you are sent to.