Richard Worth

Wellington, March 31 NZPA - Internal Affairs Minister Richard Worth was forced to explain in Parliament today the part he played in a trip to India which has landed him in hot water.

Dr Worth was reprimanded by Prime Minister John Key following the trip, in which he spoke in his ministerial capacity while promoting a private company in which he had an interest.

He resigned yesterday as a director of New Zealand Aviation, which is linked to an Invercargill air training academy that wants to train Indian pilots.

He admitted today he had also resigned from the Indian Overseas Group, which lobbies for closer trade links between the two countries.

Dr Worth was grilled in Parliament today by opposing immigration spokesman Pete Hodgson over the alleged conflict of interest.

He admitted he and some of the Indian Trade Group (ITG) delegation he was travelling with received ministerial facilitation at airports during the trip.

The delegation also went to the New Zealand High Commission in India and met with an Immigration Department official.

Dr Worth said he paid his own expenses for the trip, but final costs had not been allocated.

Mr Hodgson also tabled Indian newspaper clippings quoting Dr Worth as a minister for the Crown.

One of the articles quoted him talking about the cost of obtaining an airline pilot's licence in New Zealand as costing about $70,000.

Trade Minister Tim Groser resigned as a director of the Indian Overseas Group -- on February 15 -- a couple of weeks after also parting with New Zealand Aviation.

Mr Key said while Mr Groser's resignations had taken place a couple of months after he picked up his ministerial portfolio, he was comfortable with the way the situation had been handled.

Dr Worth's actions in not reacting until the conflict was publicised were less excusable.

While Mr Key said he didn't believe Dr Worth's comments about aviation in New Zealand were for pecuniary gain, not cutting his affiliations early on was "stupid", and had created a perceived conflict of interest.