Prime Minister John Key has told an Australian audience of his admiration for his former counterpart John Howard, in a lecture dedicated to the ex-Liberal Party leader.
Mr Key addressed the right-wing policy thinktank the Menzies Research Centre in Sydney on Thursday night.
Giving the annual John Howard Lecture, Mr Key said he had a great deal of respect and admiration for the man who led Australia for 11 years from 1996-2007.
The pair first met when Mr Key visited Canberra shortly after becoming National Party leader in 2006.
"At short notice, Prime Minister Howard made time in his extremely busy schedule to see me and to dispense his best wishes, along with some good centre-right advice," Mr Key said.
"Aside from the personal encouragement he gave me, it was a very public signal that helped me, as a new leader, settle into my role."
Mr Key says Mr Howard was a great prime minister and a great friend to New Zealand, who taught him a lot.
Reflecting on close ties between New Zealand and Australia, Mr Key again thanked Australia for its assistance in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake.
Unable to resist a rugby joke, Mr Key said New Zealand had given Australia rugby coach Robbie Deans in its own time of need.
"I hope that makes you more competitive, because from the time I became prime minister in late 2008, the head-to-head record between our national rugby teams reads All Blacks 9 - Wallabies 2," he quipped.
Mr Key also talked about his Government's economic reforms, with a brief mention of upcoming sales of state-owned assets, welfare reforms and public sector cuts, saying National's principles were broadly similar to those of Australia's Liberal Party.
"The test of a prime minister is whether you left the country in better shape than when you inherited it. If I can do as good a job as John Howard in that regard, I'll be more than pleased," Mr Key said.
NZN