A forestry company with close links to New Zealand First says it made a presentation to Shane Jones about the project it was seeking a $15 million government loan for, months before Mr Jones says he first heard of it.
Mr Jones has said he first heard about a bid by New Zealand Future Forest Products for Provincial Growth Fund money in October and immediately wrote to the Prime Minister declaring a conflict of interests because directors at the company have close ties to his party.
But the company's PGF application form says the project was discussed with Mr Jones in a presentation before the bid was submitted on April the 8th.
Mr Jones has issued a statement to RNZ saying the presentation never happened.
But NZFFP director David Henry says the presentation was a meeting he personally had with Mr Jones in Wellington.
He spoke with Investigative Journalist Guyon Espiner about his company's application to the Provincial Growth Fund.