Wellington, Feb 18 NZPA - A cost-cutting directive from the Government to Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has been taken by unions and opposition MPs as political interference and a blow to the public broadcaster's ability to maintain standards and independence.

Last week Meteria Turei was quizzed on TV One's Q and A about two Green MP's claiming the same parliamentary accomodation perk that has gotten Bill English (or the 'Double Dipper from Dipton' as Winston Peters has labelled him) into heaps of trouble.