Audrey Young: Boris Johnson's global mission to make Britain great again

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson holds a tuatara lizard at Zealandia in Wellington. Photo / AFP, Marty Melville

Boris Johnson's global mission to make Britain Great again was somewhat overshadowed during his visit to New Zealand - by Boris himself.

However vast the venue, Kaikoura, Zealandia or the Beehive theatrette, it seemed too small to contain his massive personality and his capacity to entertain and flatter to such effect it is hard to know what is real.

Having jetted in to Australia overnight, he will no doubt be telling them today that they have the "most mind-blowing, mind numbingly beautiful country" that he has ever seen.

He will no doubt be assuring them that they will be near the top if not at the top of the first free trade deal Britain negotiates after its formal divorce from the European Union in two years' time.

And he will emphasise their historical ties - not the old Eton ones he wore as a boy with former Prime Minister David Cameron and River Cottage's Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall - but the ones that can barely get any stronger.

Despite Johnson sounding as though he was born with a croquet ball in his mouth, his studied scruffiness and humour soften the upper-crust image.

He is a political superstar and it is fitting that he be Britain's chief emissary to prepare the world for the new age of British independence, given that he shoulders a fair amount of responsibility for Brexit.

In a vote of over 33 million people, it would have taken only 634,751 people to have changed the result. His support for the Leave campaign may have been decisive.

The primary target of Boris Johnson's current Asia Pacific mission was his visit to Japan.

The EU has just completed a free trade deal with Japan, the third largest economy in the world. It is a deal which removes tariffs on 99 per cent of EU exports to Japan.

That dictates some urgency for Britain because, unless it can match the deal with Japan, its own exports to Japan may be more expensive that its European competitors and its exporters will be disadvantaged.

Yet it can't begin to negotiate as independent Britain until its divorce from the EU is complete.

Britain has to be able to hit the ground running as soon as the divorce is finalised because time is disadvantage. The longer it takes to do its own deals, the longer its own productive sector will be disadvantaged.

New Zealand has a role in helping Britain be match-ready for its new trade era, even if this country isn't the first cab off the rank.

New Zealand has what former Trade Minister Tim Groser called the All Blacks of trade negotiators. They have been doing high-quality comprehensive trade deals longer than just about any other country.

The trade dialogue New Zealand and Britain set up in October last year is to keep New Zealand close to UK trade developments and vice versa.

New Zealand's former ambassador to the WTO and dual citizen Crawford Falconer was last month appointed Britain's chief trade advisor and that means high standards from the top.

Boris Johnson told Japan that Britain is looking for an "all singing, all dancing" free trade agreement, which is Boris-speak for a high quality deal.

It is in New Zealand's interests to help Britain get the singing and dancing deals with other countries from the outset because that is the best guarantee of New Zealand getting a good one itself.