Storm in a Key cup hots up in North

Prime Minister John Key has defended calling in police to investigate the "tea party tape" and says it was a good use of police resources.

Mr Key was in Whangarei yesterday visiting local businesses Circa Marine and Busck Concrete and making health policy announcements at the Whangarei Plunket Family Centre.

But it was the tea party tape, a recording of a conversation between Mr Key and Act Party Epsom candidate John Banks in a carefully orchestrated media opportunity last Friday, that dominated his media stand-up after the Plunket visit.

Mr Key called in the police to investigate the secret taping, saying it was a matter of principle and to stop News of the World tactics.

Four media outlets are to be searched for any material they might have in their possession that relates to the tapes.

Asked by the Northern Advocate if he thought calling in the police regarding the matter was a good use of police resources Mr Key said he did.

He said crime had reduced by 7per cent under the his watch and police had the time to investigate his complaint, "and this is a really important issue".

Mr Key said the public did not want to be distracted by a sideshow and were only interested in the important issues facing the country, like the economy, health and education. It was pointed out that the Prime Minister could end the sideshow by releasing the contents of the tape.

Meanwhile, NZ First leader Winston Peters said in a speech in Invercargill yesterday that the tape contained far more than the bland conversation the Prime Minster described it as.

"The conversation covers what Banks thinks of Brash and how Key confirms that view," Mr Peters said.

"The conversation also covered restructuring and rebuilding of the Act Party and John Key telling Banks who the new Act leader should be and, Winston Peters' 'constituents are dying' is a description Key uses of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who happen to be older.

"And equally alarming is his belief the percentage of the vote that National will get on Election Day will enable him to govern alone."

Mr Peters said Mr Key had told Mr Banks past president of the Act Party Catherine Isaac should get the job; that Mr Banks described party leader Don Brash as "a strange fellow" and Mr Key then apparently said: "We've been down that road before."

While at the Plunket Family Centre, which receives no Government funding, Mr Key said National will ensure that by the end of 2014, 95 per cent of all eight-month-old children are fully immunised with three scheduled vaccinations.

National will also roll out a $12million nationwide rheumatic fever programme, which will target communities vulnerable to the disease, which, he said, is prevalent in parts of Northland.