Big guns Helen Clark and John Key talk tactics to secure UN Secretary-General post

Helen Clark and Prime Minister John Key met at the UN ambassador's residence in New York today discuss tactics at leaders' week at the United Nations. Photo / Audrey Young

Helen Clark says her aim is to still be standing before the "shoot-out at the OK Corral" takes place over the next UN Secretary-General.

She and Prime Minister John Key met at the UN ambassador's residence in New York today to discuss tactics at leaders' week at the United Nations.

Talking to reporters afterwards they both said it would be an important week in terms of promoting her candidacy especially to the Permanent Five members of the Security Council.

"There will be very high-level conversations at the level of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs," she said.

"The strategy had been to stay in this race and when there's the shoot-out at the OK Corral to be standing then as an option," she said.

The next indicative ballot is Monday next week.

The one following that in early October is when P5 members will indicate whether they could issue a veto on particular candidates.

The former Prime Minister said she was deeply appreciative of the support she had received from key, Foreign Minister Murray McCully, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the public.

"I actually haven't seen any other candidate have this level of support from the home team, so I deeply appreciate that."

John Key again threw all his support behind her bid saying the UN needed to do the right thing and pick a strong candidate.

"We can see by the crisis that has been playing out in Syria how important it is to have a strong Secretary General," he said.

"The United Nations needs to step up and pick a candidate that can actually the right thing by the organisation by the countries that they represent."

He said the reality was that they were dealing with "raw politics as an art form if you like where there are strongly vested interests in the status quo remaining and that is playing out in the campaign."

But there was a lot yet to play out.

Here's the simple reality: 'If New Zealand was part of Eastern Europe, Helen Clark would be the next UN Secretary General.'

"So the reality is what we are seeing on display here is not a situation where other countries don't like Helen or don't respect her capability.

"This is purely about people wanting to preserve the [regional] rotation and purely about having their own vested interests."

That did not mean Helen Clark could not get there.

"It just means it is a tougher and more vigorous road to hoe to get there."