Barack Obama told John Key that NZ had "well and truly earned our place at the table" of the nuclear security summit in Washington.

Ongoing free trade talks were high on the agenda when John Key spent 40 minutes with US vice-president Joe Biden early this morning at the White House.

John Key says he was invited to the US nuclear security summit because Barack Obama recognised the importance of NZ's anti-nuclear position.

John Key has brought forward his arrival in Washington to make an unscheduled meeting with Vice-President Joe Biden tonight.

NZ representative Sir Geoffrey Palmer fears the IWC could collapse if current negotiations on whales were to fail.

Indonesia's President arrived yesterday for his first official visit to Australia.

Any deal with Japan to allow whaling would have to be very attractive to get New Zealand support, Foreign Minister Murray McCully says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Fiji's military leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, have agreed "in principle" to meet next month

Murray McCully says NZ will consider joining any legal action to force Japan to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean if diplomatic channels fail.