Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host his New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins in Canberra next week, with the visit said to be aimed at solidifying the important trans-Tasman relationship.
Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st Prime Minister after Jacinda Ardern’s resignation and this will be his first international trip as leader.
In a statement, Hipkins confirmed his visit to Australia and said, “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia.
Prime Minister Albanese was the first international leader I spoke with after becoming Prime Minister, and I look forward to continuing our discussion in person on how we can further work together to secure our economies against the global economic challenges we all face.”
Albanese also extended his congratulations to Hipkins shortly after he was named as Ardern’s successor and the two leaders had a “warm discussion.” Albanese tweeted, “A warm discussion this morning with incoming NZ Labour Leader Chris Hipkins. I congratulate him and look forward to working with him as Prime Minister.”
Ardern resigned on January 19 after serving as Prime Minister for over five years. She stated, “Leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have but also one of the more challenging.
You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.”
