Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have agreed to begin an exploration of "seamless" travel between Australia and New Zealand.
The two leaders met today in Wellington, the first time Albanese has visited New Zealand as prime minister, and the fifth meeting between the two.
The annual Australia-New Zealand meeting marked the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER), the 50th anniversary of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, and the 80th anniversary of diplomatic representation.
Hipkins said the trans-Tasman relationship was "as strong as it's ever been" but the ties could be built on by "modernising our agreements and continuing to cooperate in our mutual best interest".
"The Australia New Zealand Leader's Meeting is our annual opportunity to assess and set priorities for the relationship for the following year."
He's in the country to watch a FIFA World Cup game and is promising easier trans-Tasman travel. (Source: 1News)
He said in a bilateral meeting today the two agreed to put together a joint Australia-New Zealand expert group to "scope initiatives to move closer towards seamless travel across the Tasman".
It had a "clear deadline" of 12 months — June 2024 — he said.
"We agreed it's worthwhile to re-engage on a process to find workable measures that would help trans-Tasman businesses and tourism with a simplified border.
"But it's not straightforward. Our border is a big part of what keeps us safe. It's where we manage major biosecurity, people, health and security risks.
"This process will bring the experts together to talk about whether there are ways in which we reduce barriers at the border, while not compromising our security."
Hipkins said he and Albanese also discussed a "bilateral roadmap", which set out the two countries' "shared ambition for cooperation over the next decade" and how Australia and New Zealand would work together over the next decade across five areas: sustainable, inclusive and prosperous economies; security and resilience; being "active partners" in the Pacific; upholding shared principles and values; and people.
They also discussed cooperation in the Pacific, and the two countries' commitment to partnering with Pacific Island countries to advance the region's priorities, Hipkins said.
The prime ministers also traversed a commitment to refresh the Australia-Aotearoa-New Zealand Indigenous Collaboration Arrangement (ICA), an update of Closer Defence Relations (CDR) and "economic integration initiatives".
"Further afield, we reiterated our commitment to multilateralism and the international rules-based system and reaffirmed our condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine," Hipkins said.
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