Clinton cruises into City of Sails

Bill Clinton arrived at SkyCity Grand Hotel about 1.20 this morning. Picture / Richard Robinson

Apparently fully recovered from a bout of "Delhi belly", Bill Clinton arrived in Auckland early today on the final leg of a speaking tour expected to earn him more than $1 million.

The globe-trotting former United States President flew in from Australia on a private jet after speaking engagements in Sydney and Melbourne.

He touched down at Auckland Airport at 12.30am for his third visit to New Zealand. He and his entourage were met amid tight security by a motorcade including limousines, four-wheel-drive vehicles and a van.

Forty minutes later he checked into SkyCity's Grand Hotel, where a luxury suite can cost $3200 a night.

Mr Clinton's speech, to be delivered to the Global Business Forum at SkyCity's convention centre, is expected to be broadly similar to that delivered in Australia, touching on war, terrorism and HIV/Aids.

He told Australian audiences it was important all nations had a chance to participate in and benefit from a global economy but currently half the world's population was being left out.

In a world becoming increasingly interdependent, the next 40 to 50 years would see greater emphasis on nations developing not just economically but "politically and socially", he said.

Co-operation between countries was the best way to fight terrorism and while the UN and the World Trade Organisation were "not perfect", they were the best way to deal with global threats and meet global challenges.

Mr Clinton also warned of the threat posed by global warming and the melting of the Greenland icecap.

"It wasn't very long ago when we had an ice age and we could have another one and it could change everything about the future you can imagine," he said.

Business leaders have paid up to $2400 a ticket to hear Mr Clinton, and Prime Minister Helen Clark will be on stage during his speech.

He was forced to cancel a press conference after his Sydney appearance because he felt unwell.

But Marie Najjar, who works for visit organiser Max Markson, said Mr Clinton had fully recovered. He had travelled to India just before his Australian visit for a celebrity wedding.

Famed for his charisma and laid-back charm, Mr Clinton delighted shopkeepers and autograph-hunters on his last visit, in 2002, when he went walkabout in Parnell and High St.

Yesterday, the Newmarket Business Association said it had sent him an invitation to visit the popular shopping precinct.

Police protection is being paid for by New Zealand taxpayers.

Other speakers at the SkyCity event include former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.