Queen may visit if Labour agrees

ROYAL RULES: Labour has to agree the Queen can visit close to an election.

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The Queen could visit New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup if Prime Minister John Key can strike a deal with Labour.

Queen Elizabeth is heading to Perth for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October, which falls a week after the Rugby World Cup, and Key hopes to persuade her to travel to New Zealand for the tournament.

But, as the Star-Times revealed last week, protocol dictates the royals cannot visit a Commonwealth country in the weeks before an election, to avoid being seen to support a political party.

For that reason any visit by Prince William, an avid rugby fan, is likely to be declared "private", sidestepping the rule.

But for the Queen to come, Key would have to secure the agreement of opposition leader Phil Goff.

"We'll certainly be encouraging her if that's possible," Key said. "We would love her to come to New Zealand. But it's practically, logistically, very difficult. We are in that election period and we'd actually need support from Labour, and we haven't broached that.

"I've spoken to her about coming to New Zealand and she's increasingly said to me, `It's for the young ones'. It's a long flight."

Goff said he would "very much welcome" a visit by the Queen and would not want to stand in the way. "You'd never want to decline the opportunity, particularly these days when, because of her advancing years, visits are not frequent.

"But you'd need to be scrupulously careful, as prime minister, that this was done in a totally bi-partisan way, without any possibility of being seen to manipulate the visit for political reasons. That would be unfair to her and inappropriate in terms of protocol."

Key flew to Europe this week and will have talks with the Queen on Tuesday, followed by lunch at Windsor Castle. He will also meet with Prince Charles, on the eve of his son's wedding to Kate Middleton.

The Queen corresponded regularly with Key in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes and the Pike River mining disaster, he said.

As well as updating her on the Christchurch rebuild, he expects to discuss New Zealand politics and the next governor-general, Sir Jerry Mateparae.

"My experience is that she is very engaged in New Zealand. She will want an assurance of how things are going in Christchurch, the progress, what heart people are in.

"She's very well-informed on politics, so she will be aware we are having an election. She also has quite a lot of focus on Maori.

"She asked about the Maori Party the last time I met her and was intrigued that we [National] had formed this relationship with them. She was thrilled when we brought back knighthoods too, so I'm going to talk to her about the upcoming Queen's birthday honours."

He said the wedding on Friday would "probably be the highlight" of the week.

Key and his wife Bronagh will attend the Westminster ceremony and a reception at Buckingham Palace, alongside Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan.

KEY MEETINGS ON PM'S EURO TRIP

Prime Minister John Key will catch up with a series of European leaders and business figures on his week-long visit. Today he is attending war commemorations in northern France and tomorrow will be in London to lay wreaths in Hyde Park and read a lesson at a Westminster Abbey service.

Here's who he will meet:

Nicolas Sarkozy. Key will spend around 90 minutes with the French president in a formal bi-lateral at the Palais de l'Elysee, followed by a meeting with Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. Key will push New Zealand's case for a seat on the UN Security Council at elections in 2014. France's role in the Pacific will be a point of discussion, and both men will quiz Key on the latest developments in Fiji.

French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde and Prime Minister Francois Fillon. Lagarde is one of the most powerful women in the world and the first to become minister of economic affairs of a G8 nation.

British Prime Minister David Cameron. Key is anxious to press an air tax hike to $175 with Cameron over dinner at 10 Downing St. The tax will impact on tourism by reducing the number of British visitors coming to New Zealand.

Foreign Secretary William Hague. Hague will host a dinner on the eve of the royal wedding. He visited New Zealand in January with Defence Secretary Liam Fox and talked a great deal about Afghanistan.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Bank of England governor Mervyn King. Key will stress New Zealand is open for business after the Christchurch earthquakes and update Osborne on trends in Asia.

- © Fairfax NZ News