As world leaders jostled for a headline in New York, John Key played a shrewd hand to win a bit of air-time in a crowded calendar, focusing on the globally sensitive issues of Afghanistan, climate change and nuclear proliferation. While by the time she left office Helen Clark had gained an impressive reputation for her authoritative performances in international forums, Key has had to start from scratch. The chance to rub shoulders with some of the world’s heavyweights, beyond the confines of the Pacific and APEC, is seen by Beehive advisers as an important phase in deploying Key’s special skills in the task of projecting NZ influence on the international stage. It has been an opportunity to add Pacific substance to what many diplomats regard as the increasingly frenetic campaigning on global issues by Kevin Rudd.

Given NZ’s slot on the UN General Assembly schedule is down in what is known as the “dog watch” shift at around 6pm on Friday (New York time), when most delegations have pressing (cocktail) engagements, other initiatives were essential if NZ’s voice were to be heard above the hub-bub. One of these is the push for a global alliance to research cutting agriculture emissions. This has succeeded in gaining, importantly, financial backing from the US. The Govt has appointed a former Minister Simon Upton, who held the portfolios of Environment and Science & Technology, as a special envoy to engage other countries in the project. Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser had earlier gone to New York testing interest in the concept, and has won support from India and Brazil among other countries.

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