Blokey mateship hard to match

Kevin Rudd and John Key have had a very warm relationship. Photo / Getty Images

Kevin Rudd's rise to high office took New Zealand by surprise as much as his demise.

During his last visit to New Zealand shortly before becoming Labor Party leader in 2006, his dining pal at Bellamy's was NZ Labour's youngest MP, backbencher Darren Hughes.

Hughes is fine company and no slouch. But had the Labour Government had any idea that Rudd was to become Labor leader the following year and Prime Minister of Australia the year after that, Rudd doubtless would have had ministers tripping over themselves to join the table.

As has often been the way with transtasman leaders, the political opposites have had stronger attractions.

Key has had a very warm relationship with Rudd, one that seemed on the atmospherics to be better than Clark and Rudd's.

Clark and Rudd had a professional relationship. Rudd was admired as a winner but Julia Gillard has been a favourite with the New Zealand Labour Party.

Probably because Rudd had more on his mind in his first year in office, the year that coincided with Clark's last, New Zealand was not a priority.

Clark, by far the more experienced leader, was more than Rudd's equal. That was not something he considered when, as a rookie leader, he launched a campaign six months into his office to develop an Asia-Pacific community.

Clark could have expected to have been consulted but wasn't.

Rudd failed to send any high-ranking representation to CER's 25th anniversary dinner in Auckland.

Rudd visited once as Prime Minister, a stopover in Auckland in 2008 for a few hours on his way to Niue for the Pacific Islands forum.

Rudd, to make up for umbrage taken at his seeming lack of interest in New Zealand, sent Gillard - at the time his Deputy Prime Minister - and other senior ministers to Wellington for the June transtasman Leadership Forum in 2008.

If there had been any sniffiness at the beginning of the event that Rudd himself hadn't come, that quickly evaporated as the impressive Gillard quickly demonstrated her brain power and political prowess to the business, political and academic elites.

Five months later John Key became Prime Minister and Rudd, with one year under his belt, took Key under his wing at the Apec summit in Peru.

In 18 months they have developed a strong rapport when Key has gone to Australia, or at Pacific Forums, Apecs, Chogm and Copenhagen.

They have jousted over rugby and rugby league and held a successful joint Cabinet last year.

They have had a blokey mateship that Rudd could not have with Clark and Gillard won't have with Key.

Rudd was to have been the first foreign leader to have spoken in the New Zealand Parliament in the now cancelled visit next week.

Yesterday, Key contacted Gillard with almost indecent haste. She had barely returned to her office after the caucus coup before he put the phone call in. She hadn't addressed the nation or even been sworn in as Prime Minister. The timing was probably bothersome but it was important for Key to be the first.

New Zealand may not be Australia's top priority but Key was intent on reminding her in her first few minutes as Prime Minister designate that Australia is New Zealand's top priority.