On June 10, 2022, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a joint press conference in Sydney, Australia. MARK BAKER AP SYDNEY The leaders of Australia and New Zealand vowed on Friday to take their ties to a new level through greater collaboration on climate change and regional security.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the two countries shared concerns about the Pacific.
Albanese told reporters in Sydney that they were in lockstep on the Pacific, according to Albanese, who spoke to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
He said that the prime minister and I are determined to take Trans-Tasman relations to a new level.
Albanese took office after winning a general election last month, promising Pacific islanders a new focus on tackling climate change, which threatens their existence.
Ardern, the first foreign leader to visit Australia since its election, welcomed Australia's new stand on climate, saying that the election win signaled an opportunity for a reset of their relations.
She said the governments wanted to see an elevation of Pacific Island voices in the region, as many countries had not had a chance to speak for themselves despite a lot of dialogue.
Ardern raised Australia's contentious deportation policy in her meeting with Albanese, who promised to work through issues.
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Australia deports foreigners convicted of crimes as part of an immigration crackdown that can also strip dual-nationals of Australian citizenship.
The policy has seen hundreds of people deported to New Zealand, a country that some left when they were just children.
According to official data, some 670,000 New Zealand citizens are close to 15 percent of the country's population live in Australia.