ANDY JACKSON/STUFF

Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis butted heads with National MPs at select committee over the amount of information he was prepared to give about work he's carrying out in his portfolio.

National has accused Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis of being "vacant" and "complacent" when he fronted MPs at Parliament on Thursday.

Davis was before select committee to answer questions about the tourism sector in the wake of the Budget, but National's tourism spokesman Todd McClay has described it as "one of the strangest things I've ever heard".

"I think he was vacant, not just complacent."

JOHN HAWKINS/STUFF

National's Todd McClay described Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis' display at select committee the "worst performance of any Minister ever''.

"I think the tourism sector, the public who maybe interested in how all of this money that was promised before the election might be spent, were left without the answers," McClay said.

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Chair of the Economic Development select committee, National MP Jonathan Young, said the transcript of the meeting would need to be looked at to consider whether the level of information provided in Davis' answers was satisfactory.

If it's not then the committee can choose to recall Davis providing it had a majority - there's an even split of five MPs from Government and five from Opposition.

Young said prior to the Budget MPs were told "you'll have to wait and see and here we are investigating the Budget and we're getting, you'll have to wait and see again, and I just think that's totally unacceptable".

McClay said Davis "must be recalled to the committee and answer questions about how he will spend this money and what the taxpayer can expect from him".

Davis was questioned by MPs about a variety of tourism issues, including a proposed international visitor levy, freedom camper regulations, and jobs.

At one point he accused National MP Jacqui Dean of being "hysterical" for asking whether there might not be tourism jobs for Kiwis in the future due to the impact of increasing costs for small businesses.

Dean responded that the comment was "offensive" and "it was a fair question".

"I don't think you really need to lower yourself to those depths, do you Minister?"

Davis replied, "you'll be right".

Young, who was becoming visibly frustrated by some of the responses, raised his voice asking "when do we get to see?" after weeks of being told to wait and see what the Budget delivered

Davis shot back, "I'm sorry, don't talk to me like that".

Becoming frustrated with the questions from the Opposition, Davis offered his own metaphor to add to the many the committee had heard earlier in the day from Regional Development Minister Shane Jones.

"What did Minister Jones say today? You guys are in the bilges while we're up on the bridge looking at the big thing.

"In a tourism sense I'd say we're looking at the lakes and you guys are looking at puddles," Davis said.

 - Stuff