Trade delegate defends Key's funeral trip

John Key missed the Middle East trade delegation to go the the funerals of three Air Force crewmen. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A businessman on a trade delegation to the Middle East has rejected criticism of Prime Minister John Key for ditching the delegation to attend the funerals of three Air Force crewmen.

Neville Jordan, the chairman of Endeavour Capital, said he disagreed with Dr John Langley, who wrote in the Herald yesterday that Mr Key's decision to miss the delegation for the funerals was short-sighted and lost a critical chance to build links.

Dr Langley was on the trip as the chief executive of Cognition Education, which has interests in the Middle East.

Yesterday, the Cognition Education board issued a statement distancing itself from his comments and apologising to the Prime Minister for them.

Mr Key did not comment yesterday, but Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said Dr Langley had been "unnecessarily negative and harsh on a Prime Minister who was put in a difficult situation and made the right choice".

Dr Langley said he stood by his comments and believed several others in the delegation were also frustrated at Mr Key's choice.

He accepted that the Cognition board held a different view. "I've said what I said. I know my board has said they are my views and not the board's views, and that's fine. I knew that when I wrote it."

Mr Jordan - who headed a recent Government-appointed Taskforce into crown research institutes - contacted the Herald yesterday to say Middle Eastern investors he met respected Mr Key for his decision.

"In fact, one very high-level investor said it was good to see the Prime Minister putting the concern for his people ahead of pure economic gain.

"That rubbed off on me as a simple New Zealander and went a long way to cementing relationships there. That's not to be underestimated."

He had not heard any other members of the New Zealand delegation criticise Mr Key's decision and believed most supported it.

Mr English said he did not believe the Prime Minister's absence would have affected chances for wider trade opportunities. He said Mr Key had acted in accordance with his priorities.

"One of them was to be at the funeral because of the nature of the tragedy that occurred. The other was to meet his obligations to our troops in Afghanistan, which he has just done."

Mr Key had personally known the crew killed in the Iroquois crash as he had flown with them. He was to have spent four days with the trade delegation before going to Afghanistan.

It would have been the first such high-level visit to the Middle East in five years and was seen as important in furthering free-trade agreements.