KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister Helen Clark confirmed today the Government is considering making billionaire Owen Glenn New Zealand's honorary consul in Monaco.
The expatriate businessman - Labour's biggest donor - yesterday told the Herald he was waiting for Foreign Minister Winston Peters to sign off his appointment.
His claim
came after he dismissed earlier reports that he was offered the role of Transport Minister as a joke.
Miss Clark has said she would be "surprised" if she ever made that comment and Mr Glenn has said his "lighthearted" comments to a reporter had been taken out of context.
But Mr Glenn said Prime Minister Helen Clark had approved his appointment as honorary consul and had told Mr Peters to "get on with it".
Miss Clark today confirmed Mr Glenn had expressed an interest in being honorary consul and Mr Peters was now considering whether the country needed anyone in that role.
Such positions are held by lay people, rather than diplomats, to promote New Zealand's interests in countries or cities where it does not already have representation.
But Helen Clark said she had never spoken to Mr Glenn about the matter and had not told Mr Peters to "get on with it", as claimed by Mr Glenn.
Mr Peters would make his decision based advice from officials, she said.
If an appointment was made she denied it would be a case of "jobs for the boys" as honorary consuls received "minor" recompense, meaning they usually made a loss out of the role.
"People don't do it for money. It actually costs them money.
"That's why, where there are honorary consuls representing New Zealand ... you often find they are business people and professionals holding the position, because they can afford to do it," she told reporters.
"People basically do it because they want to do something for New Zealand."
Miss Clark said the role involved supporting distressed Kiwis and attending functions that had a New Zealand component.
Foreign affairs officials would have to weigh up whether an honorary consul was needed in Monaco at all.
Miss Clark said Mr Peters had had one meeting with Mr Glenn over breakfast to discuss the matter.
Mr Glenn gave $500,000 to the Labour Party in 2004 and 2005 and also revealed last week he had provided the party with a $100,000 interest-free loan since the last election, which had been paid back.
National has called on Labour to explain Mr Glenn's comments and says it has misled the public by not declaring foregone interest on the loan from the magnate as a donation.
Miss Clark said yesterday the party published audited accounts and the loan was in them.
She said she did not intend discussing Mr Glenn's comments with him on Thursday when she attends the opening of a new building at Auckland University's school of business named in his honour.
Mr Glenn donated $7.5 million towards its construction.
- NZPA