But Johnson is on a mission to extend the influence of Britain in all parts of the globe in preparation for going solo in two years.
He will be visiting Kaikoura on Monday to thank locals for looking after British campervan tourists trapped there during the earthquake last November.
He will unveil a British war memorial at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, and will hold talks with the Government.
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee is personally greeting Johnson in what will be his first visit to New Zealand.
"As we see Britain exit the European Union, we want to remain as high on their agenda as possible for the trade stuff," Brownlee told the Herald.
Security issues, the Pacific and Kiwis in Britain would be among the issues that will be discussed as well as trade.
The two countries had a shared interest and commitments in Middle East security "which effectively is security for the whole wider world".
New Zealand also contributed 10 staff to an officer training academy in Afghanistan run by Britain.
"And he will be interested, I think, on our perspective on what's happening in the Pacific, what do we observe as United States' activities, what do we see as China's intentions, and what are the intentions around some Russian activity as well."
Brownlee also said there was "a whole lot of stuff" related to Johnson having expressed a desire in the past that more New Zealanders might be able to visit Britain, a reference to his support in 2014 for Kiwis and Australians to have reciprocal travel and work rights with Britons, as was the case with the EU.
"So all those things will be on the agenda for broader discussion," Brownlee said.
Johnson has long been an advocate for Britain to make better use of the Commonwealth in its foreign policy.
But his Conservative party appears to be more inclined to tighten access to Britain rather than liberalising it.
During the campaign for the June snap election, the Conservatives promised to cut net migration from 273,000 to less than 100,000 by targeting students and working visas.
It proposed cutting back the number of skilled migrants to get visas, higher levies on employers who take on migrant workers and tripling the National Health Service Immigration Health Surcharge from $350 to $1130 a year for those in the UK on visas of more than six months and about $780 for international students.
That surcharge increase affects those on the traditional OE, although the two-year youth mobility visa remains which allows up to 12,000 young New Zealanders annually aged 18 to 30 to get a two-year visa to work and travel in the UK.
Johnson is among those in Theresa May's Cabinet considered to be a potential successor in a leadership coup, along with arch rival David Davis, the Brexit minister, Phillip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Johnson, a former journalist, is known for his quotable quotes.
He recently said the EU leaders could "go whistle" if they thought Britain had to pay a huge amount to leave the EU.
He is also famous for his often colourful running outfits.
Johnson has come from Japan and will head to Australia after his visit to New Zealand.
