KEY POINTS:
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has racked up a quarter-of-a-million-dollar travel bill in the past three months, and National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee wants him to explain why.
In return, Mr Peters has challenged Mr Brownlee to question the expenditure in Parliament.
In recent weeks Mr Peters has been to Europe and the United States twice, as well as Australia and Malaysia. On Monday he leaves for an Apec conference in Vietnam.
Yesterday Mr Brownlee released the answer to a written parliamentary question, which revealed that from July 1 to September 30 Mr Peters' international travel cost almost $252,000.
"It is more than Mr Peters spent in the 8 1/2 months he was minister in the 2005-06 financial year, " Mr Brownlee said.
"At the current rate the Foreign Minister will spend $1 million on travel in the 2006-07 year ... Mr Peters needs to clarify whether this extensive travel itinerary is one of the baubles he talked about."
Mr Peters dismissed Mr Brownlee's claims as misleading.
"Mr Brownlee should stick to what he does best: basic woodwork," he said through a spokesman.
"If he has any questions about the work and travel I do, he should front up and ask them directly rather than sneaking out a press release."
In his last full financial year as Foreign Minister, Mr Peters' predecessor, Phil Goff, spent $283,000 on travel.
Mr Peters said Europe and the United States were expensive places to travel to and stay in, and two trips to each continent accounted for the recent high travel costs.
"The critical point is where you go, how you go there, and how long you spend there," Mr Peters said.
"The reality is that it is expensive to travel to stay in hotels in Europe and the United States and it costs a lot to fly there."
The $252,000 did not include the cost of Mr Peters' enforced stay in a Brisbane hospital when he fell ill after his Malaysian trip.
From October last year, when he was named Foreign Minister, to June this year, Mr Peters travelled overseas 10 times, including three trips to Europe.
Where's Winston?
* June 24-July 9. Europe.
* July 16-20. United States.
* July 22-24. Australia.
* July 25-31. Malaysia, Asean Regional Forum.
* September 19-30. New York, Europe, UN General Assembly and European consultations.
