A plate of protected Antarctic toothfish and controversial dish foie gras were on the table at a lavish taxpayer-funded dinner hosted by Trade Minister Tim Groser.
Mr Groser and two officials ordered the toothfish - a species which New Zealand is going to huge lengths to protect - at a Singapore restaurant in January, ministerial credit card receipts released by the Department of Internal Affairs show.
The receipt says Mr Groser spent $300 on the meal at Table for 7, which included $35 on the Chilean Sea Bass - also known as Patagonian or Antarctic toothfish. The minister ordered foie gras for $26, two pan-seared duck dishes for $35 each, and a $90 bottle of Central Otago pinot noir.
Mr Groser was in the country for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks, and the meal was declared as a "delegation dinner hosted by the Minister".
Toothfish is believed to be an overfished species with a declining population, though population counts were difficult in the species' main habitat in the Southern Ocean.
