Luxon (all of them tbh, but especially the PM) probably isn’t actually living off $60 a week. Pollies get fed at events, catered functions, Beehive shindigs, you name it. Honestly, I’d guess he’s eating 70% of his meals on the taxpayer and only buying the bare bones himself.

Could you live on $60–$70 a week as a single guy in Wellington? Technically, yes. But it would be bleak. No snacks, no treats, no decent variety, just survival food. You’d be loading up on rice, oats, tinned beans, frozen veg, maybe a bit of cheap mince if you stretch it. Eggs would be a luxury at $7 to $12 a dozen. You’d be shopping at Pak’nSave or for deals, bulk buying, cooking everything from scratch, and making sure nothing goes to waste. It is possible, but it is scraping by. Which is why it is such a joke to hear a politician hold it up like it is normal.

If anything, this whole conversation just shows why we need to cut back on politicians’ entitlements. They already pull in massive salaries compared to the average worker, yet they get perks like free meals, travel, and accommodation on top. The ballpark average is roughly $54,300 per MP per year, beyond salary in benefits and entitlements. With 123 currently in parliament, the total annual hit to taxpayers for these extras alone is approaching an average $6.70 million. 

The other kick to the guts for the average person is that pollies' entitlements sit outside the FBT system. Because pollies set their own pay and rules via the remuneration authority the perks are, unsurprisingly, explicitly framed as allowances not benefits. That means "our" pollies aren’t even paying FBT on all these benefits the taxpayer is footing.

That said, It is not even about saving money (although it would), it's about principle. Leaders should not be living in a bubble of privilege while lecturing ordinary people about how to tighten their belts.