Wellington - New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who blames the media for instigating a series of inquiries into secret donations to his party, apologised to reporters Thursday after failing to get them into a closed doors hearing of parliament's privileges committee.

Wellington - New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters' political future was on the line Tuesday after an expatriate billionaire donor to his political party gave damning testimony to Parliament's powerful privileges committee.

Owen Glenn, who lives in Monaco, flew home to tell the committee that Peters personally asked him for money to help pay legal fees after the 2005 general election and he donated 100,000 New Zealand dollars (66,000 US dollars).

Wellington - New

Wellington - New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters Thursday challenged the country's Serious Fraud Office to prosecute him as a political row over a donation he received from a wealthy businessman continued to rage.

Peters issued a statement challenging the office to charge him, saying it had been "creeping around back doors dropping hints and providing media speculation but not finding any evidence of wrongdoing or illegality" on his part.

Wellington  - The future of New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was under a cloud on Saturday as a millionaire who donated cash to his party accused him of "blatant lying."

Wealthy property developer Sir Robert Jones insisted that Peters asked him for a donation to his nationalist New Zealand First party before the last election in 2005 and said he was asked to make out his cheque for 25,000 New Zealand dollars (about 18,500 US dollars) to a trust administered by Peters' brother.