New Zealand visit

Obama wraps up whirlwind NZ visit

The former US President leaves the country this afternoon and heads to Australia, where he will meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

This morning, Mr Obama had brunch in Auckland with 20 members of the Wāhine Toa group.

One of the women, Deidre Otene, said Mr Obama may be a celebrity, but he came across as incredibly genuine and someone who is trying to make a change in the world.

They talked about his charitable Obama Foundation and what it is trying to achieve, she said.

Small West Papua protest during Jokowi visit to NZ parliament

But the protestors were vying for airspace with a group of Indonesians who were there to cheer Joko Widodo in his flying visit.

It turned into a sing-off on the steps of New Zealand's parliament.

Dozens of Indonesians, buoyed on by a handful of officials, singing nationalist themes with great vigour as they awaited their president, known as Jokowi.

Alongside them, outnumbered but not diminished, around twenty people calling for an end to human rights abuses in West Papua.

Obama NZ visit confirmed for March

There has been speculation for weeks that Mr Obama was coming to New Zealand, and it has been announced he will speak at a New Zealand-United States Council event on 22 March.

"President Obama's presidency had an extraordinary impact on the world and during his service, New Zealand's deep friendship with the United States was strengthened politically, culturally, in trade and investment, innovation and security," council chairman Leon Grice said.