Prime Minister Christopher Luxon following annual talks with Anthony Albanese, and a helicopter ride to surrounding peaks including the Humboldt glacier.
Lifting people’s living standards and making it easier to do business across the ditch were key features of bilateral talks between Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Albanese wrapped up his 24-hour visit to Queenstown today with awreath-laying ceremony at the War Memorial in Arrowtown, followed by a helicopter ride with Luxon and Ngāi Tahu representatives, which took in the Remarkables, Cecil Peak and the Humboldt Glacier.
“Today is an opportunity to say thank you and to give respect to the men and women who wear the uniform of the Australian Defence Force and also that of New Zealand,” Albanese told media after the ceremony.
“You must remember that it is Russia and Vladimir Putin who is the aggressor here, who has breached international law, who has engaged in an illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, who has taken action which has resulted in death and destruction in Ukraine.
“And Vladimir Putin can end all this tomorrow. He can just withdraw behind his boundaries of Russia.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (front, second from left), his partner Jodie Haydon (front left) with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (third from front left) and his wife Amanda at a wreath-laying ceremony at the War Memorial in Arrowtown. Photo / Derek Cheng
Following their helicopter ride, Luxon told media the transtasman relationship was “as strong as it’s ever been”.
“That helps a lot, when you’ve got good chemistry with the leader. We’re very aligned.”
Last night, they met with business leaders to hear about how to make it easier to do business on both sides of the Tasman.
“We want to be as frictionless as possible,” Luxon said, citing building products as an example.
“There’s a lot that we could actually simplify, some of our standards, across both markets.”
He said improving productivity was a “big focus” of their conversation.
“It’s been a problem for 30 years in both countries actually under successive Governments. Everyone’s working hard, but we haven’t been able to lift everyone’s collective living standards sufficiently.”
Anthony Albanese (left) and Christopher Luxon in Queenstown for annual transtasman talks. Photo / Derek Cheng
It was Luxon and Albanese’s fourth face-to-face meeting as Prime Ministers. Yesterday, they released a joint statement urging Israel to reconsider its plan to take full control of Gaza.
“Any attempt by Israel to escalate hostilities, including by taking control of Gaza City, would be wrong, risk violating international law and exacerbate the human catastrophe already unfolding inside the Gaza Strip,” a joint statement from Luxon and Albanese following their meeting said.
Luxon also brought up the controversial and ongoing issue of 501 deportees to New Zealand from Australia, though there was no indication of Australia softening its stance.
Albanese and Luxon also discussed recognising the state of Palestine, and their shared respective positions that it’s a matter of when, not if.
Australia has recently suggested it may be willing to make the recognition sooner rather than later, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong warning of a risk “there will be no Palestine left to recognise”.
Derek Cheng is a senior journalist who started at the Herald in 2004. He has worked several stints in the press gallery team and is a former deputy political editor.
