Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has scored a major win for Kiwis living in Australia - a promise to work on a pathway to citizenship.
Her Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese also said he would apply "common sense" to 501 deportees with no significant ties to New Zealand.
The trans-Tasman Prime Ministers looked like the best of buddies on Friday, each flanked by some of their ministers at a meeting in Sydney. That included Finance Minister Grant Robertson who has only just come out of COVID isolation.
The extra ministerial reinforcements were there because there was a lot to discuss.
"There are no closer friends than Australia and New Zealand and today's discussions reflected that and the reset in the relationship between Australia and New Zealand," said Albanese.
That relationship reset is getting a huge win - the promise of a pathway to citizenship for Kiwis living in Australia is coming as early as next year.
"That is a step-change in the way that we've previously seen New Zealanders treated here," Ardern said.
It's a step-change that could see New Zealanders in Australia finally given the right to vote and a softening of who is deported under the 501 policy.
"Where you have a circumstance where someone has lived their entire life effectively in Australia with no connection whatsoever to New Zealand, then common sense should apply and we will act as friends and we'll work through those issues in a commonsense way," said Albanese.
Ardern said that's "exactly what we have asked of Australia".
"What we've been seeking is common sense in the spirit of friendship and that's what Prime Minister Albanese has spoken to today."
But it wasn't just our two countries discussed. Others came up too like China and those in the Pacific.
"We wish to remain the security partner of choice," said Albanese.
The two leaders also met somewhat informally on Thursday night at the Australian New Zealand Leadership Forum, a coming together of Aussie and Kiwi business leaders for the first time since 2019.
"My friend Jacinda, we'll will work really closely together in the coming times."
It's the best the trans-Tasman relationship's been in years.
