Fran O'Sullivan: McCully briefed to score a home win

Cabinet Minister Murray McCully is under strict orders from his boss to do "whatever it takes" to ensure the 2011 Rugby World Cup is an outstanding success.

The timing of the tournament couldn't be better for New Zealand. Amid the incessant doom-and-gloom talk, it is easy to overlook the fact that in just over two years 60,000 to 70,000 visitors will likely track here for a contest that has the potential to generate more than $1 billion of economic activity and pump more than half a billion dollars into the New Zealand economy.

That is what goes with the territory of being host country for the world's third-largest sporting contest.

It is important that New Zealand makes the most of this.

Not just for the excitement of watching the All Blacks contest the Cup on their own turf, but through maximising the economic and business opportunities.

The RWC organisers have so far done a stirling job by opting for 13 venues that have capitalised on their pledge to the International Rugby Board to provide a "stadium of four million people", and ensured that virtually all regions of New Zealand have an opportunity to drive extra business.

McCully's brief is a wider one. Not only does the event have to be a roaring success - irrespective of whether the All Blacks win - but it also has to work as a positioning statement for New Zealand by enticing visiting corporate VIPs to put it in their radar sights as a potential trade and investment partner.

For a politician who played a largely back-room role during National's nine years in opposition, McCully is now living his dream.

Key awarded McCully three choice portfolios: Foreign Affairs, where he works closely with Trade Minister Tim Groser on New Zealand's external agenda; Sports and Recreation - similar to the Sport, Fitness and Leisure portfolio he held in the last National Government; and the Rugby World Cup.

Of the three portfolios, McCully's performance in the World Cup arena will carry the highest importance in his boss' eye.

Key has let senior business people know that he ranks a successful Rugby World Cup 2011 as number two on his priority list, behind the economy and narrowly ahead of the restructuring of Auckland governance.

From a political perspective, a successful Rugby World Cup event could also help bolster National's chances, with the next election likely to be held within weeks of the final. So the stakes are high.

After many years in the political shadows it would be difficult to suddenly move centre-stage. McCully still tends to be slightly self-effacing in the public arena. Within the Cabinet he plays hooker, making sure the ball goes to the right player - often Key himself - to run with.

But a collegial approach is also in evidence. The rapport between McCully and Groser is palpable, with either politician easily able to represent the full range of New Zealand's interests in their meetings with other foreign or trade ministers either at home or overseas.

For instance, it was McCully who fleshed out the timetable for the recent announcement of negotiations on the bilateral trade deal with Korea during the visit of Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan to Wellington in January.

This is a return to normality after the embarrassing charade played out under the Labour Government when its Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, sat outside the Cabinet and not only "didn't do trade", but reserved the right to oppose deals like the Chinese free trade agreement which did not fit with his party's agenda.

Appointing former National deputy prime minister Jim McLay as the next New Zealand permanent representative to the United Nations was an adroit move. McLay is a respected player on both sides of Parliament. He has served as New Zealand's representative on the International Whaling Commission, and

has been a pivotal player in some of this country's key relationships, particularly within the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum. And although

he is not a professional diplomat, he will have little difficulty in translating his own skillset on to the international arena. But National should be careful about extending political patronage too far.

Both McCully and Groser favour a shake-up at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to ensure greater concentration on the relationships likely to bear greatest economic fruit for New Zealand and/or bolster the country's presence on the world stage.

The foreign affairs establishment is already kicking back at plans to bring NZAid back within MFAT's firmament and ensuring more of the aid is directly tied to New Zealand's interests. McCully has not handled this issue as smoothly as he could. But overall he has made an impressive debut in his prime portfolios.