New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Wellington on Thursday, at their 7th meeting. This meeting was an important step in making their countries’ defense relationship deeper and more integrated. The meeting took place in New Zealand, where Luxon extended a warm welcome to Albanese, who was greeted with a traditional Māori pōwhiri ceremony. Such a meeting would be critical, with both leaders facing huge challenges in regional security, especially posed by an assertive China and overall in the Indo-Pacific.
The rapport between Luxon and Albanese dates back to Luxon’s tenure as head of Air New Zealand, during which he interacted with Albanese when the latter served as Australia’s transport minister. Their shared history has fostered a collaborative spirit, evident in their discussions about enhancing military cooperation and joint responses to global challenges.
Strengthening Defence Partnerships
For instance, in their first meeting, Luxon and Albanese agreed to work toward increasing defence expenditure to about 2 percent of GDP. This decision marks a significant departure from the status quo and represents both leaders’ acknowledgment of growing geopolitical threats to the region. Luxon envisions the Australian and New Zealand militaries cooperating together as one joint force. He focuses on the need for strategic cohesion to shape their shared security threats in a truly useful way.
Luxon stated, “If possible, I hope to raise our defence spending to more than 2 percent of GDP,” indicating his ambition to further bolster national security. The conversations highlighted as context recent high-profile trips to China by each leader. These official visits demonstrate their mutual commitment to addressing the challenges and opportunities inherent in regional relations.
Regional Security Concerns
China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific continues to be priority number one for both leaders. And they debated how to best balance this strategic competition with the need to protect their peoples’ security—as well as our own. The conversation extended to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where Albanese reiterated Australia’s call for a ceasefire.
Luxon expressed concern regarding Israel’s military operations in Gaza, stating, “The latest action of Israel we’ve seen in the last 24 hours is wrong, and it actually risks violating international law.” This declaration highlights the leaders’ resolve to protect international norms and standards as they respond to today’s most urgent humanitarian crises.
Promoting Tourism and Cultural Exchange
Luxon and Albanese focused their discussion on defense and security. They discussed new and promising opportunities to increase people-to-people ties and tourism between Australia and New Zealand. With both countries being each other’s largest tourism markets, cooperation in this sector will be key to economic recovery after the pandemic. Luxon and his wife plan to showcase the scenic beauty of Queenstown to Albanese and his fiancée, Jodie Haydon, which highlights the cultural ties that underpin their nations’ relationship.
The leaders are adamant that encouraging more tourism will enhance economic connections. Most notably, it will bring people closer together, deepening the ties that bind their countries—Australia and New Zealand—together as one.
