While Ms Ardern is assuredly the focus of attention, various cabinet ministers usually come along, in this instance Trade Minister Damien O’Connor.
There is almost always an associated trade delegation made up of representatives of New Zealand businesses.
Being selected to go on the trip — and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the prime minister’s office put a lot of thought into who gets to travel with Ms Ardern — is a rare honour, usually accorded to firms with a history of exporting to the country or region being visited.
It also involves a not inconsiderable amount of work, as the 12 delegates on this trip are expected to be at 20 or so meetings during the six-day trip, not including what they set up themselves.
Nor is Ms Ardern a disinterested observer of proceedings: before leaving for the US she Zoomed the delegation members to be briefed on their business and what they hoped to achieve on the trip.
Yes, she is there to meet senators and statesmen and women, but Ms Ardern is also there to promote the fact that this country is once more open as a tourist destination, and to sell New Zealand goods on the world stage.
Hence, there she was on the evening news broadcast tucking in to a burger made with a patty of Silver Fern Farms’ finest product, priceless exposure for the Dunedin firm.
SFF is not the only Dunedin-based business riding the whirlwind of Ms Ardern’s trip to the States: Animation Research Ltd chief executive Cheryl Adams is also part of the delegation, and when she caught up with Southern Say it was 11.30pm on the East Coast, her day having started with a 4.30am flight.
ARL has a longstanding history of providing graphics packages to US broadcasters and sports organisations, especially the PGA, and being on the delegation means Ms Adams will not only be able to catch up with established business partners but also meet new contacts.
She is also acting on behalf of an ARL-owned subsidiary, and has great hopes of attracting US interest in a learning programme for neurodiverse adults.
The trip was also a learning exercise, she said: if you are on the delegation you are part of "New Zealand Inc", and attend events — such as the burger barbecue — which are not necessarily in your field of endeavour.
"There are tourism industry people, primary produce, manufacturing, packaging, and other technology companies, and together we are representing innovation in New Zealand and the diversity of what we’re doing ... this is an opportunity to show what we as a country have got."
Ms Adams was unprepared for just how close to the action she was going to get: on day two the seating plan for the delegation’s meeting with BlackRock, the world’s largest investment firm, had Ms Adams within arm’s reach of Ms Ardern, and on day three in Washington she got to ride along in the PM’s motorcade.
"I was quite surprised to be two seats away from the prime minister I must say, there were 34 people seated around that table and that wasn’t where I was expecting to be seated," she said.
Trips to important tech centres like San Francisco and Seattle and meetings with firms such as Amazon and Microsoft will be highlights for Ms Adams.
"I’m very passionate about encouraging wahine into tech and there are so many stories here that I will certainly be including in the conversation when I talk to schools."
Not the least of those stories being the time she got to ride in a motorcade through Washington DC.
Power panel
The cynical might suggest politicians always have one eye on the next election, and Justice Minister Kris Faafoi is no exception.
Following on from the select committee inquiry in to the 2020 election, Mr Faafoi this week announced an independent panel to review of New Zealand’s electoral law.
The panel includes University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis who — quite literally — wrote the book on election law.
The six-person independent panel, appointed with bipartisan support, will consider both any immediate changes needed for next year and more long-term issues.
Issues on the table for discussion include the voting age, funding of political parties, the length of the parliamentary term, changes to the MMP party vote threshold and the ratio of electorate seats to list seats.
Long jump
Joseph Mooney’s predecessor as National MP for Southland, Hamish Walker, made quite a splash when he took part in the Queenstown Birdman event a few years back, but Mr Mooney is one-upping him today, weather permitting, by jumping out of a plane.
The parachute jump is in support of the Cancer Society, and Mr Mooney hopes to raise $1000 for the organisation through sponsorships.
