John Key's friends in high places

Prime Minister John Key met Newscorp owner Rupert Murdoch at a meeting with the Wall St Journal in New York. Photo / Supplied

Key gains unlikely TTP ally, Clark wins cross-party backing in bid for top UN job.

Prime Minister John Key missed out on meetings with the leaders of the major world powers while in New York this week, but he managed to pack in a few billionaires.

Yesterday he caught up with Newscorp owner Rupert Murdoch during his visit to the Wall St Journal offices.

Today was the chance to catch up with Julian Robertson, the former hedge fund pioneer who owns luxury lodges in New Zealand including Kauri Cliffs, the Farm at Cape Kidnappers and Matakauri Lodge.

Earlier today Key also visited the Flat White group of New York based New Zealand entrepeneurs, including IT giants Craig and Kirsten Nevill-Manning.

Mr Nevill-Manning is a high-level computer science engineer with Google while Mrs Nevill-Manning worked in human resources for Facebook before moving into the e-learning sector.

It followed on from meeting the owners of the Red Sox and Yankees when Key took a night off earlier in the week to go to the Yankees Stadium for a spot of baseball - the game his son Max played.

Clarke and Key talk TPP deal

When Prime Minister John Key arrived at the First Ave UNDP offices on a muggy, drizzly New York day, he carried two bottles of wine for his predecessor, Helen Clark.

In return she handed him gold - an endorsement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal Key has taken so much grief over at home. Clark's rule since moving to head the UN Development Programme has been to not comment on domestic issues. Yesterday, she broke it.

Key's eyes lit up when Clark said NZ "has to be in on the action" and could not miss out on being part of such a major regional trading bloc.

Helen Clark and John Key in agreement in New York yesterday. Photo / Claire Trevett

Key couldn't conceal his delight, as Clark is idolised by Labour supporters and Labour's position is not to back the deal unless conditions are met.

But he somehow managed to keep a straight face when he later insisted that Clark was right and it "was not about politics" but getting a better deal for New Zealand.

He repaid her in kind when asked about her chances of becoming the next UN Secretary-General. Earlier in the day, Key went to a breakfast speech at the Asia Society, hosted by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Rudd has moved to the US and is reportedly lobbying for the Secretary-General's role in 2017. That could put him up against Clark.

Asked about her plans, Clark quipped she would "neither confirm nor deny, as they said of nuclear weapons for many years".

Afterwards, Key sang Clark's virtues at great length. He said although he would never vote Labour, that would not stop him having a lot of pride in Clark if she took the top job.

He even cracked out the royal "we" and hinted at trying to get US President Barack Obama on board: "I'd certainly do everything I could to talk to the most influential leaders we know and there's one or two of them we play golf with or hang with that we might have a word with."

He restricted his appraisal of Rudd's suitability to "he's ferociously bright". If they were head to head, "I'd probably back Helen".

Probably? "Well, I'd definitely back Helen."

It was at least a break from the other rivalry that has dominated his week in New York: Russia v the US.

Key did have a break to watch the Yankees and Red Sox, and he told those at the Asia Society breakfast that the sight of all those stars and stripes had spurred on his desire to change the flag.

McCully's words pack wallop

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully speaking to media at a press conference in Auckland. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Foreign Minister Murray McCully spoke for only half his allocated time at the United Nations Security Council yesterday morning.

But he managed to pack quite a wallop into two minutes 39 seconds.

That wallop, directed at Russia and the other giants on the Security Council, was born out of frustration that in a week in which world leaders were all in New York, the best the Security Council could do was discuss Syria - no resolutions, no decisions, nothing but talk.

He was further enraged because Russia had called the meeting to discuss co-operation in Syria - yet on the same day it began airstrikes in Syria, with no or little notice to other countries involved. Asked later whether he thought that timing was deliberate, Mr McCully replied curtly: "You'd have to ask Russia."

The blunt message echoed others' frustrations about the Security Council's paralysis on issues it was needed most on.

Prime Minister John Key is due to deliver similar sentiments when he makes New Zealand's statement to the General Assembly this morning.

His first such statement was in 2013 when NZ was campaigning to win the Security Council seat it now holds. That speech also included criticism of the council's failings and need for reform.

However, Mr Key said he would not just focus on the negatives of the Security Council.

"It is an institution with a lot of failings but I'd hate to think we'd worked so hard to get on the Security Council just to declare the whole thing a failure."

Mr McCully may well have stolen his boss' thunder yesterday - he certainly dominated the headlines.