New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Investment Lunch in Sydney on July 7, 2022.
(JAMES GOURLEY / POOL / AFP)
WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday attended the Australia-New Zealand Leadership Forum in Australia's largest city of Sydney to boost trade ties between the two countries.
"Building on our trans-Tasman trade and economic links is fundamental to ensuring New Zealanders' economic security both now, and into the future," Ardern said in a statement.
Building on our trans-Tasman trade and economic links is fundamental to ensuring New Zealanders' economic security both now, and into the future.
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand PM
Topics discussed on the form include reconnecting through travel and tourism, trans-Tasman innovation opportunities, labor shortages and the future of work, economic growth challenges post-COVID-19 and climate change collaboration.
Australia is New Zealand's second-largest trading partner after China, with two-way trade accounting for over 22 billion NZ dollars ($13.6 billion) in the year to December 2021, statistics show.
Usually held around every 18 months, the forum last took place in 2019 in Auckland before COVID-19. Separate to the forum, Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold their first formal leaders' meeting in Sydney on Friday.
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right) poses with Lowy Institute Executive Director Angus Houston during her arrival at the institute in Sydney on July 7, 2022.
(DEAN LEWINS / POOL / AFP)
Ardern also said on Thursday that regional architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum was critical in resolving regional problems and local security issues should be resolved locally.
Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum countries will gather in Fiji next week for an annual meeting.
New Zealand is committed to the Pacific Islands Forum as the vehicle for addressing regional challenges.
Jacinda Ardern
"New Zealand is committed to the Pacific Islands Forum as the vehicle for addressing regional challenges," Ardern said in a speech to the Lowy Institute think tank in Australia.
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"We have a strong commitment to supporting broader ambitions for our regions security," she said. "Importantly we see local security challenges being resolved locally, with Pacific Islands Forum Members' security being addressed first and foremost by the Forum family."
As Ardern was speaking in Australia, her government announced a review of defense policy, strategy and planned investment, in part because of an "intensification of geo-strategic competition".
Ardern said that though Pacific cooperation should be shaped by various agreements in place and regional groupings, that did not mean that others would not have an interest in engaging with the region.
New Zealand Minister of Defence Peeni Henare, in announcing the defense review, said the military worked daily with allies to protect security and stability in the region.