China tops list for National Party conference

China's Vice-president Xi Jinping with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at Government House for a formal dinner last year. Photo / Dean Purcell

Finance Minister Bill English will tell National Party conference delegates in Wellington today they need to get used to New Zealand's partners in China.

The message will be that New Zealand's new friends have money that will allow it to take new opportunities through the global volatility that could endure for some time.

Foreign investment in New Zealand promises to be one of the big campaign issues for opposition parties as National faces its first campaign as Government.

Mr English applauded the briefing that the Chinese Embassy in Wellington gave last week on its ambitions for investment in New Zealand.

He said that in any discussion the Government had with China, Beijing had wanted to be seen as a self-aware, careful, long-term investor.

"The fact is we are going to have to get to know these people," Mr English said. "They've got all the money. They buy our stuff.

"And the ones we know have got all the debt and they don't want to buy our stuff, despite our best efforts over 50 years - they still try to keep our products out of their markets."

The embassy's political counsellor, Cheng Lei, said there was a great deal of confidence in New Zealand and its systems and people.

He said that there was a minority of xenophobes in New Zealand who were "unreasonably fearful" of any Chinese investments regardless of any benefit to the local community.

Prime Minister John Key's main conference speech, tomorrow at midday, is expected to outline new initiatives in social welfare reform and youth unemployment.

He will also tell delegates to ignore the surveys that consistently have National polling above 50 per cent.

As is the case with most party conferences in election year, a lot of it is being held behind closed doors in order to instil into activists the need for unity and discipline.

Cabinet minister Steven Joyce will follow Mr English in an open session before heading into a closed session on the campaign, which he is chairing with Jo de Joux, the campaign manager. It is the third consecutive campaign the pair have worked on.