Peters slugs back at MPs' quizzing

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters easily batted away an attack in Parliament yesterday on his brief but controversial record as Foreign Minister in the Labour-led Government.

Labour MPs in particular cheered him on, applauding his jokes and personal attacks against Opposition MPs and the media in his first day in the House answering questions on behalf of the Government.

Mr Peters has not answered questions in Parliament since 1998 when he was fired as Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Peters, a minister outside Cabinet, revealed that in South Korea, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had asked him - as well as Trade Minister Phil Goff - how the unusual Government arrangement was going to work over the next three years "and I said 'well given who we are facing, we'd roar in'."

Apparent differences between Mr Peters and Prime Minister Helen Clark over whether relations with the United States need to be improved and whether to engage Australia's help were deflected by Mr Peters' maintaining that both of them shared the objective of "progressing" New Zealand's relations with the United States.

"This requires patient, sustained effort."

"Wrong man," Act leader Rodney Hide interjected.

Mr Peters: "I make no promises to have this all sorted out by lunchtime."

Mr Peters said, "The Prime Minister agrees with me and I happen to agree with the Government's position that it is in the interests of our foreign policy that we improve our relations with every nation - in particular those that are old trading partners and allies."

Speaking about his recent trip to the United Kingdom, he said he watched the All Black test in Scotland and held meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh with business groups that related to New Zealand interests.

"I might add that that was over the weekend."

Mr Peters turned on interjections by National's Nick Smith, saying it was clear why he had lasted only days as deputy leader.

And he accused Mr Hide of suffering from "recognition hunger" and suggested he take a pill.

National foreign affairs spokesman Murray McCully revived what could have been an embarrassing quote from Mr Peters from May 15, 2003, in which he described Helen Clark as "the only politician in the Western world who can talk on foreign affairs with both feet in her mouth".

Mr Peters responded: "I could understand why someone who is the only member of this House to eat a banana sideways would be asking that question, but the reality is it is 2005 and things have moved on ...

"This member promised there was going to be fireworks today, and I want to know why we just faced a damp squib."