Addressing business leaders and politicians in Auckland last night, US Vice President Joe Biden paid a special tribute to the first New Zealander killed in Afghanistan, 24-year-old Matthew Ferrara, who held duel citizenship and was serving with the American army.

He was also a nephew of Labour MP and former Defence Minister Phil Goff.

Mr Biden told the story of Matthew, but in doing so got the young Captain's Christian name wrong, as well as his year of death - referring to him as "Michael" who passed away in 2008.

Captain Ferrara was killed in 2007.

"In 2008, Michael was a young man in his prime, shortly graduated out of West Point, one of our most elite military academies, we think one of the most elite in the world."

At just 24, Captain Ferrara was leading a unit of men when he was killed after being ambushed.

LISTEN ABOVE: Newstalk ZB's political editor Barry Soper speaks with Larry Williams about Joe Biden's visit

Mr Biden said he exhibited how our two countries stand side by side.

"Our brave women and men in uniform share the fighting spirit that reflects the fierce independence of our two nations, and we honour the sacrifices they've made."

He said there's no better representation of that than "one of our shared fallen angels", Captain Ferrara.

Mr Biden is the first American Vice President to visit here in more than 30 years, in what's been seen as a visit to rebalance the growing influence of China in the South Pacific.

The Vice President left the Auckland audience in no doubt last night that this is where the action is.

Mr Biden said New Zealand and America have a vested interest in the region and they must stand side by side to realise it.

He said it's no longer what America can do for this country, it's what it can do with it for mutual benefit.

"We are a Pacific power, we have always been a Pacific power. We are going nowhere. We mean what we say when we say we are rebalancing to the Pacific. It is overwhelmingly in our interest."

Labour says it's no coincidence that Mr Biden is visiting the country at the moment.

The party's foreign affairs spokesman David Shearer said the Americans are acutely aware of the growing influence of the Chinese in this part of the world and they're now trying to reassert themselves.

"It's undoubtedly the case that since China's expansion into the Pacific in particular has warranted United States paying much greater attention to the Pacific."