KEY POINTS:
Millionaire businessman Owen Glenn and the Prime Minister opened Auckland University's Business School tonight - at a distance from each other.
The event came after days of mounting political furore over comments by Mr Glenn that Helen Clark had offered him a Cabinet post and that the Government was considering making him its honorary consul in Monaco.
That has sparked a round of embarrassing allegations including claims from National MPs that Labour was rewarding him for his donations.
But tonight the pair had to front up to the opening of the new business school.
Watched by a host of reporters, they stayed apart the whole night.
Their non-meeting came on a day when it was revealed Labour president Mike Williams offered to resign for statements made regarding a $100,000 interest-free loan Mr Glenn made to the party.
Miss Clark refused to accept Mr Williams' offer to resign.
Mr Glenn's $7.5 million donation to the university for the Owen G Glenn business school building is thought to be New Zealand's largest ever private donation to an education institute.
Mr Glenn dressed in a korowai (cloak) sat next to good friend Sir Howard Morrison while the Prime Minister - flanked by husband Peter Davis and ministers Trevor Mallard, Maryan Street and Judith Tizard - kept to the other side of the room.
However the pair mentioned each other in their speeches.
Mr Glenn said some of his speech notes had been written for him and then quipped: "Like you, I suffer Helen."
The audience laughed when Mr Glenn said:"It's good to see so many friendly faces. I'd like to be the first one to say hello to the Prime Minister."
He said there were many reasons why he wanted to donate to the university. "When I first left school at 15, I had to take the trolley bus down Symonds Street and I was envious of all the students going to university."
He said his charity work in China and India also made him want to contribute.
"The world is changing...let's get cracking, let's get New Zealand into the innovative business sector.
"It's what happens inside here that counts. Thousands of minds that will go through here when I've passed on and the governments have changed or whatever."
Helen Clark said she wished to "acknowledge that generous spirit" of Glenn's.
She said she remembered the university well as she previously studied and worked there for 14 years.
"I used to park my car in this area, now there's a building on top...My husband Peter's office is next door so I've been kept well updated."
Vice Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon said the government contributed $25 million from the Partnership for Excellence programme while the university raised a further $71 million for the building.
"There's one person who has shown a remarkable gift...consequently this building is named for him".
After the formalities Glenn cut the ribbon into the building while Miss Clark unveiled a plaque. They were kept far enough away from each other so that the media could not get a photo of the pair together. The ceremony was followed by a cocktail party and tours of the new school.
