KEY POINTS:
New Zealand business representatives in China for the signing of the free trade agreement are furious that Winston Peters has bagged the deal.
One has urged the National Party to help Labour dump him as Foreign Minister.
Trade Negotiations Minister Phil Goff, also in China, was forced
to explain to New Zealand expats and business people why the Government had agreed to an arrangement under which the Foreign Minister could criticise the trade deal.
In his informal comments to business people, Mr Goff described the situation as "bullshit".
At home, United Future leader Peter Dunne says he does not see how Mr Peters can attack the deal overseas and remain Foreign Minister.
Mr Peters has said his party will oppose the deal because New Zealand could have done a lot better, and he took out ads yesterday in metropolitan dailies reinforcing his opposition.
Labour knew of his attitude before the deal was signed, and the legislation enabling it will pass with the support of the National Party.
Northern Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Alasdair Thompson urged Labour and National to "do a parliamentary deal" to oust Mr Peters as Foreign Minister.
"We've just done a deal which will open opportunities for New Zealand business," said Mr Thompson. "Peters wants to shaft us."
He said National leader John Key should offer sufficient abstentions in Parliament so the Labour Government could stay in power until the election.
But that is unlikely to happen. Mr Key yesterday reiterated his position that it was conceivable that Mr Peters could be foreign minister in a National-led government.
Mr Thompson's strident opposition to Mr Peters' stance on the trade agreement was mirrored by many of the business people present at a function held by the Kiwi Expats Association in Beijing to host the visiting New Zealand business delegation.
Bob Fenwick, a past president of the NZ Export Institute, said Mr Peters was "simply disgraceful".
Business people were particularly incensed that Mr Peters had not only taken out advertisements, but was criticising the agreement and planned to make similar comments overseas.
They said he should resign or be sacked.
Mr Dunne yesterday questioned Mr Peters' statements that, if asked, he would criticise the agreement overseas as Foreign Minister and say New Zealand could have done better.
"It would be akin to my going out and publicly criticising the Government's position on tax," said Mr Dunne, who is Revenue Minister.
Mr Dunne is in a parallel situation to Mr Peters - both are the leaders of small parties with confidence and supply agreements with Labour and are ministers outside the Cabinet.
Both are bound by collective Cabinet responsibility on matters relating to their agreements, their portfolios and when travelling overseas.
Mr Dunne said he was not saying Mr Peters should resign, but he said there needed to be a discussion about where the boundaries were.
