Luxon moves into Premier House after $170K refurbishment

By Jo Moir of RNZ

The Prime Minister is ditching his Wellington city apartment and moving to Premier House now refurbishments at the official residence are complete.

The property, valued at $37 million, has received an interior paint job, new curtains and blinds, and other superficial renovations over the past nine months.

Christopher Luxon came under heavy criticism when it was revealed he was collecting a $52,000 a year accommodation allowance to live in his mortgage-free Wellington apartment instead.

Luxon eventually gave up the allowance after first saying he was "entitled" to it, and paid back the $13,000 he'd received up until that point.

The allowance is for MPs based outside of Wellington, to find accommodation in the capital, but prime ministers had rarely claimed it.

Luxon was understood to be the first in at least 34 years to do so.

Movers have been shifting the Prime Minister's belongings to the residence over the past few days and his office confirmed the move on Monday.

The upgrade to Premier House has cost $169,849.09 to date, with some invoices still to come, according to Newsroom.

In addition, approximately $15,000 had been spent on new items including a mattress and bed base, a Sky TV connection, and other miscellaneous costs.

Luxon received a briefing on the property late last year with various options for an upgrade, one of which was costed at $80m.

The report recommended a $33m refurbishment and proposed a long-term maintenance plan be adopted, which would cost $27m over 20 years.

The independent report was commissioned by then-Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern in 2022.

Ardern and her family lived in the official residence throughout 2020-2022, after she moved there permanently when Covid-19 lockdowns came into force.

Former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins also used the residence occasionally, but has been open about the fact it needed a renovation and wasn't in the best condition.

Many of the findings of the report concluded Premier House did not "reflect the status" of prime minister.

In assessing the private apartment, where the Prime Minister usually resides, it found the home did not meet accessibility code requirements, its roof would need replacement in 2025, there was little to no insulation, and the windows were single-glazed.