John Key delivers post-Budget speech

Business leaders say they're positive about the long term prospects for New Zealand.

John Key has just delivered his post-Budget speech to a business lunch in Auckland.

About 800 people attended the lunch in which the Prime Minister assured people the country's in the right position, geographically, to continue to prosper.

PWC managing partner of markets Bruce Ballie says admittedly Mr Key was talking to a friendly crowd. But he says the Budget's been well received and he says there's no room for spending.

Mr Key encouraged business leaders at a post budget luncheon in Auckland not to give up hope and stay optimistic about the future.

Mr Key says New Zealand continues to grow and is in a perfect position geographically to take advantage of trade with Asia.

"If you were really going to go out there and buy a country, why wouldn't you want to buy New Zealand? Would you really want these other countries that are highly indebted, have hugely inflexible and inefficient systems, don't have the natural resources that we have?"

Mr Key says New Zealand's a brilliant country and some are unnecessarily gloomy about the future.

During the speech two protestors were arrested as two dozen very vocal protestors gathered at the Langham Hotel, forcing police to barricade the entrance.

At one point there were more police officers than protestors and two were arrested and taken away in a paddy wagon. Protestors also forced hotel guests and diners to climb over gardens just to get into the building.

They yelled "shame" at every guest who broke the line.

Hundreds of business leaders were inside listening to the speech, including former commonwealth bank boss Sir Ralph Norris, and economists.

Photo: Protestors outside the Langham Hotel (NZ Herald)