By Maggie Tait of NZPA

Wellington, June 10 NZPA - Former Labour government minister Chris Carter was repeatedly warned about what was appropriate to use his ministerial credit card for but has still been caught out misusing it -- including paying for movies in hotels, documents released today show.

Throughout the years Mr Carter's office was reminded about getting receipts and reconciliations in on time.

And early on, in June 2003, Dean Stratford finance manager in executive government support, sent an email saying: "Can you please remind the minister the importance of retaining the detailed invoice when using the corporate credit card," he wrote. The email goes on to talk about the Audit Office taking a "deep interest" in the use of cards.

In 2004 Mr Carter's office was sent the whole credit card policy and the paragraph on the need for supplying receipts was highlighted.

Mr Carter has previously been in the news for his expensive travel bill after work trips where his partner Peter Kaiser often accompanied him.

Mr Carter has checked the credit card transactions released to reporters for the years 2003 to 2008 and had found a few things that he should have paid for amounting to $251.16.

Those included two charges for watching pay per view movies in hotels, one for himself and one for a staff member. The movies cost $23 and $26.

Labour's Shane Jones today admitted using his card to pay for porn flicks in hotels. Mr Carter said he could not remember what film he watched; "I assure you it was not a pornographic movie". He did not know what the staff watched.

Mr Carter said he would pay back money for flowers and an April 9, 2008 charge for hotel spa treatment for a staff member.

He assured NZPA that other treatments such as massages at hotels had been reimbursed or paid privately already. Some payments had appeared on hotel receipts with other transactions even though they were not paid by ministerial cards.

There is a June 2003 health club charge in Germany, and in Brazil two massages were among receipts. During that trip Mr Carter's partner Peter Kaiser reimbursed $132.34. In Cambodia in 2008 there were three treatments charged to the card.

"Some have been for me, some for staff and they have all been paid for. We have been most careful to check this."

Mr Carter said the flower purchasers should not have been put on the card but it had been staff rather than he that had made the error.

"It wasn't appropriate."

In England the ministerial card was used for several transactions; $607 at a company called Politico's, another $178 at The French House and $186 on luggage at Harrods.

Politico's was a store that sold political posters and paraphernalia. Fourteen New Labour Party mugs and posters were bought. Mr Carter thought the French House was a restaurant and the Harrods spending to buy a bag for a staff member's whose bag broke.

He said the spending was signed off as okay by Ministerial Services.

Ministers are allowed to purchase luggage and in April 2005 a suitcase was also on the bill.

A pricey 2006 dinner in London lacked a detailed invoice to say what was consumed, Mr Carter, Mr Kaiser, former High Commissioner to London Jonathan Hunt and a British Lord were the guests at Angus Food Company.

Mr Carter said that was a legitimate work dinner.

Also in London the taxpayer paid for a suit, tie and shirt amounting to about $1000, that was for a press secretary who lost his bag. A suit was needed for a housing conference.

On trips to Australia Mr Carter hired chauffeured limos. Mr Carter said that was because of Australian rules where cars were provided but ministers had to pay for them. For security reasons the cars were compulsory. "We couldn't get a cheap cab as much as we may have wanted to."

Among the more odd spending was a $300 payment at a pharmacy where he bought everything from deodorant to chapstick.

Mr Carter justified that saying it was for a trip to the Solomons and supplies like insect repellant were needed to keep his staff and him "safe and healthy". Ministerial Services signed it off as legitimate, he said.

He said he took responsibility for those instances of misspending which had happened in the environment of a very busy ministerial office.

"Small mistakes were perhaps inevitable, but never excusable."