The funding was suspended in 2016 after North Korea ramped up its nuclear programme and the Government became concerned about how North Korea was spending money while its people suffered.

"I think [it was suspended] because of the escalation of activities and because it was starting to become clear that every dollar the North Korean government should be spending in the welfare of its own people was actually being diverted into that nuclear programme, which would make us effectively subsidising that," Mr Brownlee said.

When Newshub asked Mr Brownlee if he thought the money from New Zealand was going to the North Korean regime, he said: "I can't answer that at this stage."

And he's not holding back when describing the North Korean leader.

"This guy is irrational. He's nuts and not a sort of person that you'd want to have with a finger anywhere near the trigger of a nuclear weapon," he said.

The Government put a stop to the aid just in time. It could have been an awkward subject during the visit of the US Secretary of State last week, when Rex Tillerson directly asked us to cut any ties left with North Korea.

"We have called on all nations that have any kind of relations economic activity with North Korea to join us in putting pressure on the regime in Pyongyang," he told a press conference after meeting with Prime Minister Bill English.

But Mr Brownlee said withdrawing our aid wasn't likely to affect much and Mr Tillerson was likely talking about countries who continue to trade "pretty aggressively" with North Korea.

"I don't think [withdrawing] that small amount puts a lot of pressure on them," he said.

And before New Zealand considers sending money again, things will have to change dramatically.

"I think once there was some certainty about where things were going and it was totally humanitarian, we would be open to that, but we're not interested in putting funding into North Korea that props up a regime that seems to think it perfectly reasonable for them to threaten such a large percentage of the world's population," Mr Brownlee said.

Newshub.