So Barack Obama is on our soil. Today he’s playing golf at Kauri Cliffs in Northland.  It was an early start for the former president after arriving just after midnight last night.  He was up and away on a helicopter at 8am.

So that bodes well for his golfing buddies including Sir John Key. Nothing like a bit of jet lag to add to your handicap.

Tomorrow sees the big function on the Auckland waterfront with 1000 invited guests.  But no media. Invited or covering. That’s because Obama is sidelined and they don’t want any slip of the tongue causing international ructions.

So if the event is all about US and New Zealand relations, you wonder how anything will get publicity further abroad. Let’s be frank. This is an Air New Zealand promo organised by Sir John Key, who coincidentally is on the Air New Zealand board.

It’s no wonder they’re playing at Kauri Cliffs and not a Paraparaumu where Tiger Woods played because there’s no way Barack Obama could fly into the Kapiti Coast this week.

There’s been much said that this visit will do wonder for New Zealand’s profile, partly because Obama has 16 million followers on Instagram so any picture of New Zealand he takes will ricochet around the world.

So this morning I checked out Obamas Insta. The last picture he posted was on Valentines Day with Michelle at some unknown location. In fact, over the past year, he’s posted no pictures of any place he visited. Same on Facebook. I think the tourism boost from Obama has been overblown.

Here’s another reality check. Obama has just spent 2 days in Singapore but I haven’t seen the world’s media covering the crap out of it. He met with Prime Minister Lee and some emerging leaders but nothing of substance was reported from them other than it happened.

I expect the same from his visit to Jacinda Ardern. It will just be an opportunity for him to tell Jacinda to keep her chin up and for the Prime Minister to snap another picture for the scrapbook.

Barack Obama is powerless. Voluntarily mute about real issues in his own country though he must be seething at the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of all he tried to achieve in his 8 years. 

So enjoy your jaunt Mr President. But it’s irrelevant and no more significant than going to the zoo to look at a rare and endangered animal and marvel that it eats and sleeps.

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