When we broke the news last Sunday that Air New Zealand intended to bring former US President Barrack Obama to New Zealand next month, we fondly supposed the visit would be warmly welcomed by just about everyone in this country and certainly everyone in government and politics.
How disappointing, therefore, that the prospect did not find favour with one of them, Winston Peters, our Foreign Minister no less.
It was worse than disappointing, it was alarming. Peters said he was speaking as the shareholding minister of Air New Zealand and he did not approve of the company paying Obama his usual speaking fee.
"I know what his going rate is. (About $400,000, we had reported) I know we can't afford it," he grumbled.
Peters is the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, a role that is not supposed to allow a minister to interfere in commercial decisions of the companies.