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Winston Peters and Rodney Hide are embroiled in a new slugfest - this time over who paid for a trip that the Foreign Affairs Minister made to a glitzy world-title boxing fight in Las Vegas.
Act leader Rodney Hide has raised what he says are "serious questions" over the trip in May last year, claiming several "very credible" sources had told him that Peters' airfares, accommodation and tickets to the Oscar de la Hoya-Floyd Mayweather fight were paid for by wealthy businessman George Calvert.
But Peters said yesterday that Hide's claims were a "pile of crap" and challenged him to put up, or shut up. Peters had been in Europe on official Foreign Affairs business at the time and made a private trip from Berlin to Las Vegas to attend the title fight before heading on to Singapore.
Peters says he paid for his airfares and accommodation in Las Vegas and later reimbursed "an acquaintance" who had supplied him with the boxing tickets.
A one-way flight from Berlin to Las Vegas costs about $3500 and fight tickets can vary from anything between $100 and $2500. Laws state MPs should declare all gifts and donations over the value of $500.
Peters is already in a fight for his political life over a $100,000 donation from billionaire Owen Glenn amid claims it should have been declared in the register of MPs' pecuniary interests. Parliament's privileges committee is due to make its findings known on that issue next week.
Yesterday a defiant Peters rubbished Hide's latest claims.
"This pile of crap from Rodney Hide, who knows he has not the slightest scrap of evidence, is just the latest in a series of lies from the Rasputin of New Zealand politics who will be exposed during the election... and then some," Peters said, adding Hide should produce what evidence he had to support his claims.
However, Hide said in the interests of transparency and accountability Peters should "produce the paperwork" to prove he didn't "accept a freebie from a mate" which, if true, was a clear and serious breach of parliamentary rules.
"He needs to produce the documents. Winston received $100,000 from Owen Glenn which he didn't declare. Why should we think there's anything different here?" Hide said.
"It's all about having some transparency."
A spokesman for Peters yesterday confirmed Peters had been in Europe in April and May last year for Anzac Day commemorations and European Union business, and had made the pre-arranged trip to Las Vegas.
"Winston knows Hide won't be able to produce the evidence because Winston paid for the trip himself. This is fantasy stuff from Rodney," the spokesman said.
He added the tickets to the Las Vegas fight at the MGM Grand were clearly "cheap seats" because Peters had made a comment afterwards about how far back from the ring he had been sitting.
Calvert could not be reached for comment.
