John Key hoping to be on same golf team as Barack Obama

Wednesday, 21 March 2018

Former Prime Minister John Key expects he'll be on the same team when he plays golf with former US President Barack Obama.

He had talked to Obama for years about visiting New Zealand, Key told the AM Show.

'He is, a bit like me, a golf tragic. He loves playing golf, and so he has always wanted to come and play, and actually bring the girls,' Key said on Wednesday.

'With any luck he'll come down, really love it and come back for a longer visit.'

**READ MORE:

* NZ gears up for Barack Obama's flying visit

* Barack Obama and John Key's bromance endures

* Barack Obama set to meet Jacinda Ardern and John Key during his first visit to NZ

* What Barack Obama has been up to since he left office**

At the time of the appearance, about 6.30am, Key had not contacted Obama since his arrival in this country.

'Last time we played we were off pretty similar handicaps. He will have come down a lot. I've seen these pictures of him moving around the world playing a lot of golf,' Key said.

'We'll probably be on the same team… The reality is it's just fun.

'He actually funnily enough is a real stickler for the rules. He's a lawyer, so he understands the rules, and he follows them. So he's good to play golf with.'

If he and Obama were on the same team, Obama would be the captain.

'Let's get a bit of perspective here. We might be on New Zealand soil, but he's the captain,' Key said.

'While he's now no longer in office he's still one of the most influential people on the planet, and from a US-New Zealand perspective, really important, and from a tourism perspective the reality is 100 million people follow him.

'If there's a picture of him on a great New Zealand golf course, that's got to be good for New Zealand,' Key said.

'He's really a thoroughly nice, down-to-earth guy.' He and Obama had many meals together at multi-lateral events.

Asked if he was shortly 'jumping on a chopper' to go north, where he and son Max are rumoured to be playing golf with Obama, Key said: 'I have to get on some sort of equipment to get there, I'm not walking.'

He and Obama talked about everything from family, through to 'I guess what he sees. But a lot of what we talk about will never get repeated because that's the nature of that kind of relationship. I think leaders know they can share thoughts on things without reading about it in the paper again.

'No one has had the vantage point that he's had. This is the guy that was in the Situation Room when they captured Osama bin Laden, this is the guy that was at the forefront of some big debates around climate change, or global trade, or what was happening in Syria,' Key said.

'I think history's going to treat him incredibly kindly. I think the Iran deal will prove, despite what President Trump says, to be a very very good deal.'

Explaining why Obama's would not be speaking publicly during the visit, Key said it was important to understand former US presidents gave great respect to new administrations. 'He's an American first and foremost, and I think he's very proud of America. He doesn't want to be seen to be going around the world making comments that could be misconstrued. Bluntly, anything he does could be misconstrued.'

Key agreed he would call Obama a friend. 'But I'm not trying to overstate my relationship. I spent a lot of time with him as the leader.'

They had kept in touch since leaving office, and in future would see each other, 'play golf and do things in Hawaii'. 'But I'm not trying to argue he's coming over for a barbecue at Christmas.'

They had tried to meet in Hawaii this year, but 'I missed him by a day.'

Key said he did not know what Obama's speaking fee was in New Zealand. It was important to understand every former president went on the speaking circuit. Mostly it was about raising money for their foundations. They had to raise huge money for their presidential libraries, and Obama had a passion for many initiatives.