AUSTRALIANS undervalue the country's relationship with New Zealand and many are condescending toward their Pacific neighbours, says former Australian prime minister John Howard.

Appearing as a guest speaker at the Oxford Union today, Mr Howard was asked of his working relationship with New Zealand's former Labour prime minister Helen Clark, but spoke in more general terms about the association between the two nations.



"I worked very hard to get our two countries closer together," Mr Howard told an audience of more than 150.



"I think too many Australians take the Anzac relationship for granted. I think many Australians are condescending towards New Zealanders."



While Mr Howard led Liberal-National coalition governments between 1996 and 2007, Ms Clark's leadership stretched from 1999 to 2008, meaning the pair served the majority of their prime ministerships concurrently.



"Helen Clark and I were a long way apart philosophically ... (but) we worked together very closely and on a number of occasions she was very helpful to me," Mr Howard said.



He had more glowing words for incumbent New Zealand Prime Minister, the National Party's John Key.



"I like John Key, I think he's a terrific bloke and he's doing a tremendous job," he said.