Has someone put something into the water coolers in the parliamentary offices of the Government's minor coalition partners?
Act New Zealand and the Maori Party went into full damage-control mode at the weekend as the implications of the respective behaviour of two high-profile members of Parliament exploded in a maelstrom of public and political repercussion.
First, Act leader Rodney Hide - at the centre of a series of "misstatements" and omissions concerning overseas travel with his partner Louise Crome - delivered an abject apology for his actions.
Pressure is building on renegade Maori Party MP Hone Harawira to do likewise following an unscheduled jaunt to Paris while on official duty in Brussels, and the - at best - intemperate and insulting language he used in an email exchange defending his position.
No-one from the Maori Party is rushing to the MP's aid, and former Act leader Richard Prebble's defence of his embattled successor on National Radio on Monday morning - he was "very proud" of Mr Hide's apology, and that Mr Hide's critics, in particular Labour leader Phil Goff, should look to their own behaviour - simply will not wash.
Mr Hide has built up much of what political capital he enjoys, and his reputation, by being a fierce and unrelenting critic of public-sector spending in general and politicians' allowances in particular.
Such has been the diligence of his attacks that he quickly earned a reputation - and valuable associated publicity - as Parliament's "perkbuster".
He specifically opposed the travel benefit whereby MPs are entitled to a 90% travel discount for themselves and their partners for overseas trips.
Last week, it emerged that Mr Hide had taken Ms Crome on a "fact-finding trip" to London, Toronto, Portland and Los Angeles, at the taxpayer's expense.
Further, that he had used the 90% allowance to take her on a winter holiday to Hawaii.
When first confronted by the media on these actions, he was less than forthcoming as to the costs incurred.
He downplayed the bill for Ms Crome's travel on the fact-finding trip as being about $5000 when in fact it has been shown to be $11,952, and was silent on the matter of the trip coinciding with the United Kingdom wedding of Ms Crome's brother; and he neglected to mention, when quizzed about other costs, that he had also incurred a bill of $10,022 on the Hawaiian holiday jaunt.
That he has belatedly paid back both sums smacks, as does his apology, of being the only expedient course of action available to him.
As many have pointed out, Mr Hide has not actually broken any rules - barring his own.
There are, arguably, good reasons why MPs have traditionally enjoyed such privileges, and in initially defending his actions in terms of the difficulties MPs have in maintaining relationships, Mr Hide appeared to have caught a glimmer of at least one of these.
But privately contravening with such impunity his stridently stated public position raises questions as to his integrity and judgement, and also invites the accusation of hypocrisy.
The Act leader was caught out a second time last week in a spectacularly self-aggrandising blunder by bad-mouthing in private the Prime Minister, John Key, and his Cabinet colleagues - while publicly singing from a very different song sheet.
Mr Key made light of both Mr Hide's transgressions, but he and his National Party senior colleagues cannot have been impressed.
Neither will be any but the most ardent of Mr Hide's supporters.
In some respects, the Act leader can be thankful the loose lips of Hone Harawira have drawn some of the heat reserved for politicians when they behave badly.
Mr Harawira, always his own man - and thus a liability to any party or coalition partner - has ignited a furore over his racially-charged email comments while defending his unscheduled trip to Paris with his wife.
Without them, the issue might have blown over, but the volatile Te Tai Tokerau MP's deeply offensive emailed remarks put him at odds not only with his own party, but with most of the country.
Whether he will apologise or not, as advised by his party, Mr Key and, belatedly, by the Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, remains to be seen.
Being the firebrand he is, there is every chance he will decline the opportunity - and crash and burn.
There may be collateral damage: Mr de Bres has been singed over his apparently soft initial stance.
There have been accusations of double standards.
Had a Pakeha MP been revealed to have used such terminology about Maori, not only would he have been immediately and robustly castigated for racist language, but his parliamentary career would quite probably be over.
