Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully maintains the government's controversial sheep deal with a Saudi businessman helped keep the free trade agreement on track.
The Foreign Minister has been under fire for the deal, in which $11.5 million in cash, livestock and agricultural equipment were given to a Saudi livestock importer.
The Auditor General released her report into the incident last week.
In it she cleared the government of any criminal liability - but was highly critical of the process, saying the government concealed the true nature of the deal from the public.
