KEY POINTS:
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and billionaire Owen Glenn both say there was no connection between a large donation to the party and Mr Peters backing the expatriate's bid for a diplomatic position.
Mr Glenn gave NZ First $100,000 and Mr Peters, in his role as Foreign Minister, supported his bid to become honorary consul of Monaco.
Mr Peters, stood down from his ministerial roles while donation allegations are investigated, has maintained he did not know about the donation to his party but Parliament's privileges committee found he did and it heard evidence that he asked for the money.
Official documents released yesterday showed an email trail in which Mr Peters pushed the Foreign Affairs Ministry (Mfat) hard to have Mr Glenn appointed to the position.
Mr Peters told Radio New Zealand today that he only ever asked the ministry to investigate the merit in appointing an honorary consul in Monaco, and he did not push for any particular person to be appointed to the role.
However, among the documents released was an April 19, 2007, memo from Mfat chief executive Simon Murdoch which said Mr Peters "wants to appoint an honorary consul in Monaco. It is a distinguished expat of his choice".
Another memo talks about Mr Peters being annoyed progress was so slow.
Mr Peters said the decision on an appointment in Monaco was subject to the same "tardy" decision-making by Mfat that he experienced over a decision on a similar appointment in the Ukraine, and the organisation of his trip to North Korea.
"I wanted them to give me the answer - do we need a consul today, in 2007, in Monaco and, if so, would you check this man (Mr Glenn) out."
When the ministry came back and said a consul was not needed in Monaco "that was the end of it", Mr Peters said.
Mr Glenn told Newstalk ZB he initially told Labour Party president Mike Williams he would like to be honorary consul in Monaco because New Zealand was not represented.
The suggestion was passed to Prime Minister Helen Clark and Mr Glenn said he was then told by Mr Williams there was no objection but the decision lay with Mr Peters.
Mr Glenn said Mr Peters "favoured the idea".
He later gave $100,000 to Mr Peters but said there was no connection between that donation and the honorary consul's position.
"These are separate things. I am trying to be a nice New Zealander if you like and people are trying to make something that is serious out of it."
Mr Glenn wrote a letter on advice from Mr Peters stating his interest.
He said Mr Peters told him "I know who is blocking this and I will get on to it".
National Party leader John Key said Mr Peters had denied pushing for Mr Glenn to get the position and the papers showed that was what he did.
He said the latest revelations about Helen Clark and Winston Peters' knowledge of the Owen Glenn donation now smelled "like a 7-day old snapper" and called for the deleted parts of the Mfat documents to be revealed.
"I think the fact Helen Clark is saying she can't remember what happened in 2007 tells us that if the paperwork is released you'll find the initials HC [on the documents]," he said.
Mr Key said the official documents released yesterday proved again that Helen Clark had knowledge of Winston Peters getting the donation from Mr Glenn.
"Winston Peters and Helen Clark are in this together and very much regretting that this is getting daylight."
ACT leader Rodney Hide called it cash for consulship.
Helen Clark said there was "no issue" because no appointment had been made.
National's state services spokesman, Gerry Brownlee, this morning said Labour had been happy for Mr Glenn to be made consul.
Mr Brownlee said it appeared that Mr Williams had used his influence from outside Parliament to ask the Government to progress the issue and do a favour for Mr Glenn.
"(Helen Clark's) known about this for a very long time."
Mr Brownlee said the ministry had been subjected to political interference but had maintained its independence.
- NZPA
