Foreign Minister Winston Peters is suffering the effects of a knee reconstruction operation in mid January and is laid up at home in Auckland recuperating.
He required the aid of a crutch to get to and from the Orewa Rugby Club rooms on Tuesday night where he gavehis first major speech of the year.
And while he dislikes talking about his health, a clearly pained Mr Peters told reporters afterwards that he was heading straight back to bed after the speech to take some painkillers.
His knee problems were caused by an old rugby injury and it was not the same knee that caused him grief after being bitten by something in Kuala Lumpur last year.
His office said he would travel north next week for Waitangi Day.
Meanwhile, National's foreign affairs spokesman, Murray McCully, endorsed Mr Peters' criticism in his speech of anti-American and anti-Australian attitudes in New Zealand.
But Mr McCully accused Mr Peters and Labour minister Trevor Mallard of being culprits for their accusations last year that National had used US help in its election campaign.
"I must remind Mr Peters that the most reckless and damaging example of a cheap shot at the United States was his dual effort with Mr Mallard ... last year when they alleged improper involvement of American citizens in New Zealand politics."
Green MP Keith Locke said it was "hardly 'anti-American' to side with the tens of thousands of patriotic Americans who were marching against the Iraq war, or to back American lawyers who were trying to help the people detained at Guantanamo Bay."
