Prime Minister John Key, who is also the Tourism Minister, says he got what he requested in the Budget round for the tourism sector - despite reports to the contrary.
Documents released by the Treasury last week state that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment had indicated $80 million of extra funding might be sought for tourism initiatives.
The papers indicate the Treasury advised against that, saying the value for money was unknown because of a lack of robust evaluation of similar programmes in New Zealand and overseas.
However, Mr Key says he only ever sought $40 million a year, which was subsequently approved.
