Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will be stepping up New Zealand's lobbying for a seat on the United Nations Security Council in a trip to New York this week. McCully said in a statement Wednesday that he would host a Waitangi Day -- New Zealand's national day on Feb. 6 -- reception at New Zealand's permanent mission. McCully would also hold meetings with a range of permanent representatives at the UN headquarters. "Securing a seat on the Security Council for 2015-2016 is the government's top foreign policy priority," McCully said. "In the lead up to the election it is important to take opportunities in New York to outline our credentials as a fair- minded and independent small state." McCully would present the African Union Handbook, a joint project by New Zealand and the African Union Commission, to a meeting of the 54 African permanent representatives in New York.