Prince William, second in line to the British throne, will be in Auckland and Wellington from January 17 to 19 before traveling to Australia for a three-day visit to Sydney and Melbourne.

Queen Elizabeth II is New Zealand and Australia's head of state.

Prince William, 27, last visited New Zealand in 2005 for the British Lions' rugby tour but has not been to Australia since traveling there as a baby in 1983 with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the young royal would use the visit to learn more about issues affecting the nation's Aborigines and see the bushfire-ravaged countryside near Melbourne where 173 people died in February.

The trip is likely to renew debate about Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy, with Rudd an avowed republican.

However the Queen is regarded with much affection in Australia and Rudd has said that cutting the nation's ties with the British monarchy is not a priority.

British media have reported that Prince William organized for the trip to occur during a break in his training to become a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force.