The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, made multiple references to the freezing Queenstown climate during their annual meet-up but the mood was far from frosty.
As the evening light dipped behind the jagged peaks surrounding a billionaire’s bunker-like facility where the leaders held their bilateral talks at the weekend, Luxon quipped that the outdoor press conference was the coldest he had ever done and it was time for a cup of hot chocolate.
Albanese, however, had other ideas. “We’re going in for a cuddle,” he said, giving Luxon a good pat on the back – a reference, perhaps, to their much-talked about embrace earlier in the day.
It is the pair’s second annual meeting, following Luxon’s visit to Canberra last year but the leaders’ relationship precedes their time in office, having first met when Luxon was the chief executive of Air New Zealand, and Albanese was Australia’s transport minister.
“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Albanese said. “We’re probably the two leaders of nations that can sit down and talk aviation like two nerds and bore everyone else around the international forums.”
Australia is New Zealand’s only formal ally and the two countries have a long and close friendship, often walking in lock-step over global issues, defence and trade.
‘This bond has never been more important’
However, their meeting came as record numbers of New Zealanders are leaving for Australia in search of better opportunities, while Australia continues to deport people with criminal convictions back to New Zealand under its contentious 501 deportation policy.
Those issues – particularly the latter – have been a long-running thorn in the side of the trans-Tasman relationship, but were downplayed by the leaders who chose to focus their attention on being trusted friends, amid major geopolitical upheaval.
“At a time of global uncertainty this bond has never been more important,” Albanese said. Luxon, too, pointed to the certainty and predictability of the trans-Tasman alliance, and “the knowledge that we have one another’s backs”.
Commitments to strengthen that bond included cooperating on growing each country’s economy, cutting regulatory tape to streamline trans-Tasman business and working closely on defence.
The prime ministers also stood together on international issues, including on Israel’s latest plans for Gaza, China’s expansion in the Pacific and US tariffs.
On Saturday, the foreign ministers of both countries – alongside Germany, Italy and the UK – released a joint statement condemning Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City. Last month, New Zealand and Australia cosigned the New York Call – a declaration indicating the possible recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Neither Luxon nor Albanese would confirm when a declaration of statehood might happen but said Israel’s latest plans were “wrong” and urged the country to rethink its agenda.
Both leaders also rejected the idea that possible trade retaliation from the US president, Donald Trump, over recognising Palestinian statehood would affect their positions. Australian goods imported into the US have attracted Trump’s baseline 10% tariff, while last week, New Zealand was hit with a surprise 15% tariff.
“We make our own assessments in … our own economic and our security interests,” Luxon said, to which Albanese said: “Australia has exactly the same position.”
Regarding China – the largest trading partner of both countries – the leaders said followed pretty much the same playbook: cooperate where they can and disagree where they must.
On a icy Sunday morning in Arrowtown, the prime minsters laid a wreath in remembrance of fallen Anzac soldiers before embarking on a helicopter ride over the region’s mountains and glaciers.
After another set of goodbye hugs at Queenstown airport, Albanese boarded his 737-8 Boeing business jet just after midday.
Following his departure, Luxon told media the pair shared “good chemistry”, and that having a peer support group of other leaders was “really important”.
Asked whether Albanese was “trolling” him by sporting the yellow scarf of the Wallabies – Australia’s national rugby team – Luxon said “he probably was a bit, yeah”.
“He was probably trolling me a bit with that plane there too but I’ll just leave that for another day,” Luxon said, hinting at New Zealand’s beleaguered defence force fleet.
Some trans-Tasman rivalries will never freeze over.
