Hillary Clinton to visit NZ

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected in New Zealand next month.

Her visit has been an open secret in Washington political circles since being flagged by a senior official from the Obama administration at the United States-New Zealand Partnership Forum in October.

The Herald on Sunday understands Clinton's trip is pencilled in for the week starting January 11 and will involve two days of official engagements and meetings. She is also expected to visit Australia.

Her arrival should create a mini-boom for one lucky hotel - the Secretary of State traditionally travels with an army of hundreds of administrative and security personnel.

When Clinton visited Kenya in August, her entourage booked the entire 376-room Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi.

Official word on the visit isn't expected until the new year. When former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came to New Zealand last year, her visit was confirmed only a week before her arrival.

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said: "We're not saying anything about her visit at the moment."

The spokesman said that was at the behest of Washington: "The Americans like to play things in a very low-key way."

A press officer at the State department in Washington said: "The only time we discuss the Secretary's trip is when we make an announcement - and we haven't yet."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY