Codeshares back on menu as dinner debate heats up

National continued to play "Guess who's coming to dinner?" with Michael Cullen yesterday, once more grilling the Finance Minister about a meal he had in March with senior Air New Zealand representatives.

On Tuesday National's finance spokesman John Key asked Dr Cullen whether Air New Zealand's proposed codeshare deal with Qantas was discussed at the dinner.

Dr Cullen said it was not, an answer corroborated by Air New Zealand chairman John Palmer.

Mr Key yesterday seized on Mr Palmer's comment to the Herald that the issue of the Tasman air route was discussed over dinner to reheat the debate over whether the codeshare issue also cropped up.

But Dr Cullen was keen to finish Mr Palmer's quote, that the issue of the codeshare - a proposal for the two airlines selling seats on each other's aircraft - was not discussed.

Mr Key asked if Dr Cullen's recollection that codesharing was not discussed and John Palmer's statement that transtasman air services were discussed was like not having a discussion about horses but instead talking about hooved quadrupeds.

Having used one of Mr Palmer's quotes as an entree, Dr Cullen used another as his main response - that he could "absolutely confirm that the issue of the codeshare application was not discussed".

"The member may consider it appropriate to doubt my word," Dr Cullen said.

"But by also going around doubting John Palmer's word he will get himself into serious trouble."

Mr Key told Dr Cullen that although he accepted Mr Palmer's word, he didn't necessarily accept his.

Dr Cullen and Air New Zealand have said the dinner at Wellington's Boulcott Street Bistro was an informal gathering and no records were kept of the discussion.