On Tuesday it was revealed 94 staff attended a two-day conference this month at the luxury Tongariro lodge. The total cost was $65,000.
Yesterday details emerged of a one-night retreat in 2003 at the Spa du Vin, between Auckland and Hamilton. That cost $36,000 for 75 of the same group of managers from the maintenance division.
"Where did they go in 2004, 2005, 2006 and last year?" National's housing spokesman Phil Heatley asked last night.
"There seems to be a culture developing in HNZ that top notch exclusive conference venues are the place to be."
Mr Heatley intends asking more questions in Parliament this afternoon.
The revelations have embarrassed the Government and HNZ chief executive Lesley McTurk told NZPA she was reviewing the "pattern" that had developed.
She was unable to provide information on where conferences had been held in all the years since 2003.
Housing Minister Maryan Street, who has been taking the heat in Parliament, said yesterday she was unaware of the 2003 conference.
On Tuesday Ms Street defended the Tongariro Lodge conference, saying a cheap rate of $250 a night had been struck.
She praised its value in terms of the work that had been done on delivering services to state house tenants.
But State Services Minister David Parker shot her down yesterday, saying he wouldn't defend the Tongariro Lodge venue and suggesting Ms McTurk's pay should be cut.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said she had told Ms Street not to defend it, and the minister had failed to clearly explain the Government's position.
"I think what she was trying to say -- and she is a relatively new minister -- is that some good would come out of the conference, as I'm sure it did," Miss Clark said.
Government ministers were able to take some comfort from the fact that National is still recovering from a blunder of its own.
Backbencher Kate Wilkinson's incorrect comments about its KiwiSaver policy yesterday forced party leader John Key to say it would not scrap the employer contribution.
That had been a secret that was being saved up for a policy release close to the election.
