Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16811. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central)to the Minister of Justice: On what date was she invited to dinner in Beijing with the founder and Managing Director of Oravida Ltd and when was she informed as to who else would be attending the dinner?Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice):Some time prior to my trip to China my friend Ms Xu suggested that she and Mr Shi would like to take me to dinner when I was in Beijing. It was an oral invitation. I said I would be accompanied by Margaret Malcolm. I do not recall the exact date. Some time in the week prior to my trip Ms Xu advised me that they would be inviting another friend of theirs. She advised me of his name and position.Grant Robertson: Given that answer at the point at which she was advised of the name and position of the other person attending the dinner was she not concerned that that person was a senior Chinese border control official?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: My understanding is that he is a close personal friend of Mr Shi and at the same time I was also advised that the ambassador was invited if he and his wife wanted to attend.Grant Robertson: Why did she not advise the Prime Minister that she would be attending a dinner with a senior Chinese border control official when she knew that that would be the case before she left New Zealand?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I have already apologised to the Prime Minister.Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do not believe that that did address the question that I asked.Mr SPEAKER: I invite the member to ask his question again.Grant Robertson: In doing so it was not a question that was written down. So I will do my best.Mr SPEAKER: Well I can help if the member needs some help.Grant Robertson: Oh would you like to?Mr SPEAKER: No I would rather not. I would rather the member could handle it himself.Grant Robertson: Why did she not advise the Prime Minister before she left New Zealand that she would be meeting with a senior Chinese border control official given that that information was available to her well before she left New Zealand?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Having already advised the ambassador I really should have given far more information to the Prime Minister. I regret that and that is why I have apologised.Grant Robertson: Does the Minister not believe that given her long experience as a Minister she should have known before she left to go to China that there was a serious conflict of interest issue in her meeting a senior Chinese border control official given Oravida’s difficulty getting products into China?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: The Cabinet Office has already advised the Prime Minister that I do not have a conflict of interest situation. It is not as though I was a Minister getting the Prime Minister Helen Clark to open up my wife’s law firm like David Cunliffe did.Grant Robertson: Did the founder and managing director of Oravida Ltd travel with her to Beijing?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: No.