Tana Umaga holds the trophy but Winston Peters wears the smile. Picture / REUTERS
Tana Umaga holds the trophy but Winston Peters wears the smile. Picture / REUTERS
Those baubles just keep getting better for Winston Peters.
The Foreign Affairs Minister was snapped grinning behind All Blacks captain Tana Umaga as he received the silver platter from the Scottish Rugby Union after the victory over Scotland yesterday morning.
The baubles of office provided Mr Peters - a rugbyfan who was once captain of the Auckland Maori Rugby team - with a prime seat in no less than the Royal Box.
A spokesman for Mr Peters said the Scottish Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Patricia Ferguson, had invited Mr Peters to the game after meeting him earlier in the day.
Scottish Rugby Union president Andy Irvine also extended an invitation to Mr Peters.
Watching the All Blacks thump Scotland 29-10 and complete a historic grand slam from the comfort of the Royal Box at Murrayfield is the latest in a growing list of perks Mr Peters has received since he accepted a ministerial post from the Prime Minister outside the Cabinet.
Mr Peters has been severely criticised for these "baubles" - which include an official residence in Wellington, a VIP diplomatic passport, and a $50,000 pay rise - after saying during the election campaign that he did not seek the petty baubles of office in any future government.
Mr Peters will spend today in Edinburgh attending ministerial-level consultations, visiting the Scottish Parliament and meeting members of the New Zealand Society.
Tomorrow he will leave for London where he will meet British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Minister of State for the Armed Forces Adam Ingram.
