KEY POINTS:
The man credited with rousing the United States-New Zealand relationship from hibernation, US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, is in New Zealand to take centre-stage at a prestigious forum in Auckland today.
Mr Hill and Prime Minister Helen Clark flew in from the Apec summit in Sydney and will be key speakers this morning at a forum of more than 100 business leaders and officials from both countries, known as the second Partnership Forum.
Mr Hill, who has headed recent negotiations with North Korea to end its nuclear programme, was welcomed last night at his Auckland hotel with a powhiri.
Security outside was tight, though not to the extent of the Apec lockdown in Sydney.
Mr Hill heads a high-powered US delegation, including Agriculture Under-Secretary Mark Rey, American Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue, Dairy Farmers of America chairman Tom Camerlo and senior executives from Google, Microsoft, Time-Warner, Boeing and Nike - many of whom were also at Apec.
Former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who has advocated a free trade agreement with New Zealand, is also attending.
Former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack is co-chairing the forum with former Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
Mr Vilsack entered the race to be the Democrat presidential candidate but withdrew this year and endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Helen Clark said last night the value of the forum was "in building the constituency for New Zealand in Washington DC and I'm impressed with the list that has come forward".
"It is a good constituency to have as friends of New Zealand and what it means is they are spending two days absolutely focused on the relationship - and that is priceless."
NZ-US Council executive director Stephen Jacobi said the second forum provided the opportunity to "take stock" of what has been achieved in the relationship and discuss things that might be done in the future.
At the first Partnership Forum in Washington last year, Mr Hill foreshadowed a seachange in the United States' attitude towards New Zealand and a willingness to engage more co-operatively with this country despite the impasse over anti-nuclear laws.
Mr Jacobi said it was only several months later that he was able to get "buy-in" from the Administration, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President George W. Bush.
Australia had held 10 forums of the same kind before it negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States.
"When the United States negotiated the agreement with Australia, New Zealand was not in the right position.
"We should have been able to follow on Australia's coat-tails. The relationship wasn't strong enough. We need to make it an unavoidable question the next time it comes up."
