The bond forged at Gallipoli is now a dynamic partnership, say Julia Gillard and John Key.
Day and night Australians and New Zealanders had fought... Three days of genuine trial had established a friendship which centuries will not destroy.
So wrote historian C.E.W. Bean of the battle we fought at Gallipoli.
Many years later, our two countries still enjoy that very close friendship. It's a friendship
that we are proud of, that we continue to build on, and that's been particularly evident in recent months.
The outpouring of support and sympathy in both our countries following the recent flooding in Australia, Cyclone Yasi, the Canterbury earthquake and the Pike River Mine tragedy, are moving reminders of our close relationship.
In each case, our countries were the first to provide one another with messages of support and practical help.
This is the nature of a friendship that has been forged during military conflicts, by natural disasters and by the continuous and intense interactions of our two peoples - as residents, as tourists, as families, as sporting rivals - made possible by the freedom of movement between our two countries.
It is underpinned by a shared recognition that as nations we need to make our way in a changing world and be prepared to shape our future.
And it is underpinned by our close and growing economic relationship.The Closer Economic Relationship (CER) agreement has been a remarkable success and is a gold standard in trade liberalisation and an international model.
Since the CER came into effect in 1983, annual growth in transtasman trade has averaged 8 per cent.
CER continues to help align our businesses, policies and regulations.
The open, market-oriented disciplines underpinned by CER have helped us to weather the recent global financial crisis and emerge in a stronger position than many.
But there is no room for complacency. We need to continue to work together to build on and sustain our competitive edge. That's why we are working hard to keep up the momentum of transtasman economic integration.
The latest initiative in this remarkably successful partnership is our recent conclusion of a comprehensive CER Investment Protocol. This will further reduce transaction costs for transtasman investors. More investment in the end means jobs and prosperity for both our peoples.
Our ambition does not end there. The next step is to eliminate barriers behind the border, and that's why we are working towards a Single Economic Market.
Good progress has already been made in making it as easy for businesses to operate in the transtasman market as it is in their home markets.
And we look forward to advances in new areas such as a joint patent examinations system.
Looking further ahead, we need to work closely together on policy approaches to pricing carbon.
We also have complementary strengths in our innovation systems and need to build on these to position Australasia as an agile, creative hub of science and innovation.
Our joint determination to bring the multi-billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array radio-telescope project to this part of the world is a great example of how working together strengthens our position internationally.
We share the view too that travelling across the ditch should be as much like a domestic experience as possible. We intend to further streamline transtasman travel, including through the SmartGate initiative.
Another priority will be to leverage the historic Asean-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which creates a new regional market of 600 million people.
We'll share the lessons learned from CER with our Asean partners who have embarked on a similarly ambitious process of economic integration.
More generally, we know that by working together we can make a stronger contribution to stability and development in our region.
As the global balance of power shifts to the Asia-Pacific, this will create tremendous opportunities for us in this increasingly dynamic region. But it will also throw up real challenges.
We need to work together to shape the future we want, including by co-operating in important regional forums such as the East Asia Summit and Apec.
Our joint operations in Afghanistan, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste, too, show the value of Australia and New Zealand working alongside each other and our regional partners - as do our co-ordinated development programmes in the Pacific.
An Anzac Ready Response Force is now in place to respond to regional emergencies. That goes to the heart of our concept of being stronger together.
The human tragedies of recent disasters in both our countries have provided the inspiration for joint work on the challenges of crisis management: new high-level talks will sharpen these disaster response arrangements.
Our partnership, though long-standing, is today thoroughly modern. The Anzac spirit is not just about shared memories - it is about a shared vision for our countries in the future.
The close friendship that unites Australia and New Zealand is something which, as C.E.W. Bean said, "centuries will not destroy".
