Goff calls for Wong to face questions over travel misuse

Pansy Wong and Sammy Wong misused travel perks. Photo / APN

Labour yesterday stepped up calls for former Cabinet minister Pansy Wong to return to Parliament to face the music over the use of her position and travel perks to promote her husband's business interests.

The calls came as further details emerged of the couple's trips to China, where they combined official duties and private business.

Mrs Wong resigned her ministerial portfolios after admitting her husband Sammy conducted personal business during a trip to China, which is against the rules covering the use of the rebate for MPs.

Speaker Lockwood Smith's office was investigating and a report was expected within three weeks. Prime Minister John Key has said Mrs Wong shouldn't comment until she had read the report.

But Labour leader Phil Goff said there was no reason Mrs Wong shouldn't return to Parliament to answer questions before the completion of the report.

"She is aware of when she broke the rules and how often she broke the rules. It doesn't need a Speaker's inquiry to confirm that," said Mr Goff.

"The evidence is there. John Key as much as admitted that, saying that he could not be assured that this was an isolated event.

"He knows the score. She knows the score. They are both covering up and they are playing for time."

But Mr Key said he did not believe Mrs Wong would be in full possession of all the facts on potential misuse of the parliamentary travel perk until the report was completed.

"Her husband booked some trips, we need to reconcile that information."

"What I want is for Pansy to give the New Zealand public the answers I think they deserve, factually and correctly."

However, Mr Key said he saw no reason why Mrs Wong should resign as an MP.

"Nothing I have heard in terms of the allegations would drive me to believe that she shouldn't be a member of the caucus."

"If she's made mistakes - clearly there's been one she's made - then she needs to be accountable for that, but I haven't got the impression they're malicious mistakes."

Mr Key denied Mr Goff's suggestion he was buying time for Mrs Wong to avoid a byelection.

After last Saturday's Mana byelection, won by Labour with a much reduced majority - which Mr Key said was "a disaster" for the opposition - National would be "more than happy" to fight another one soon.

Meanwhile, Labour MP Pete Hodgson - who first raised questions over Mrs Wong and her husband's taxpayer funded trips to China - yesterday supplied the Herald with more material showing the couple advanced Mr Wong's business interests while travelling together.

Last week Mr Hodgson released material from a Chinese local government website reporting on the couple's December 2008 visit to Lianyungang where Mr Wong had invested in a hovercraft business.

The material produced by Mr Hodgson yesterday showed the couple visited the city several months earlier but it is unclear whether any of Mr and Mrs Wong's travel during the trip was paid for by the taxpayer.

Mrs Wong did not refer to the visit to Lianyungang when writing on her MP's website about her July trip to China.

- additional reporting NZPA