John Key was instrumental in getting Barack Obama to visit New Zealand.

Chair of the New Zealand-US Council, Leon Grice, says the former Prime Minister helped make the initial connection with Obama's team.

Obama will speak in Auckland at a NZ-US Council event in March.

Grice told Mike Hosking says our friendship with the US grew under Obama.

"We restored our relations with USS Sampson arriving. More and more businesses are succeeding in the United States, that really kicked through that period."

It is predicted Obama could do wonders for New Zealand on the world stage.

The former US President is set to make an address at a New Zealand-United States Council and may even play golf with John Key.

Auckland University Marketing professor Dr Bodo Lang says it's hard to predict the economic benefits, but Obama's visit is like a celebrity endorsement for the country where even his social media activity could see our tourism industry get a boost.

"Him tweeting about things and getting busy on social media, that he is here, means we're being talked about and that's a good thing for us as a brand.

"Someone with 100 million followers who tweets something about a country, and having just arrrived 'the weather is good and the people are friendly'. These are certainly things that sink into the psyche."