1. The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, and the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, met in Wellington on 26 July 2023 for the annual Australia New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting.
2. The relationship between New Zealand and Australia is unlike any other. Our shared values, common outlook and people-to-people links underpin a critical partnership. New Zealand and Australia are family and working together is intrinsic to our respective interests.

CHRIS HIPKINS, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: Kia ora koutou. Good afternoon. It's a real pleasure to have been able to welcome Prime Minister Albanese to Wellington today for the annual leaders' meeting. This was the third formal bilateral meeting that we've had since I became the Prime Minister of New Zealand at the beginning of the year. Of course, we also had the opportunity to catch up at the King's Coronation and at the NATO summit in Lithuania, where we extended our commitment to Ukraine and reiterated our ongoing opposition to Russia's illegal invasion.

CHRIS HIPKINS, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: I've got a little gift bag for you here, Wellington in a bag. Lots of Wellington product innovation for you.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Very good.

PRIME MINISTER HIPKINS: Everything in here is made in Wellington.

PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: You've got coffee.

PRIME MINISTER HIPKINS: Coffee in a can. Peanut butter. Chocolate.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Wellington, New Zealand from 26 – 27 July to meet with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting.

Australia and New Zealand are close partners and allies. The leaders will discuss strengthening trans-Tasman cooperation in a range of areas including trade and investment, security and defence, our shared commitment to the Pacific region, and deepening connections between our people.

FRAN KELLY, HOST: Prime Minister, welcome to Mornings.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Fran, good to be with you. Good to hear you back on the radio.

KELLY: Thanks very much. Well, are you happy to be the national cheerleader in chief for the Matildas during the World Cup?

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. I pay my respect to their elders past, present and emerging, and I pay my respect to any Indigenous people who are joining us here today.

To Carole Crean and the members of the Crean Family, to Brigadier Robert Marsh representing the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Professor James Angus, the Lieutenant General of Victoria, to the Premier of Victoria, Dan Andrews and to Cath Andrews, and to Sussan Ley representing the Leader of the Opposition.

VIRGINIA TRIOLI, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, good morning and thank you for joining me.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Virginia. Good to speak with you, although it will of course be a very sad day for Simon's family, for his many friends and for the entire labour movement. We farewell a giant today at the Cathedral.

GLENN STOLZENHEIN, HOST: Good morning, Prime Minister. How are you going?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: G'day, great to be talking with you again.

STOLZENHEIN: Great to have you in this beautiful part of the world, of course. What's on the agenda today?

FIONA PHILLIPS MP, MEMBER FOR GILMORE: Hi everyone. Well, I'm delighted to be here at the Milton Rural Landcare Nursery here at Ulladulla, of course with Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia. I was absolutely thrilled that Albo was in our area, our beautiful area, today and I could bring him to this nursery to have a look at the forest recovery project. Soon after the bushfires I went to visit a local couple in Yatte Yattah, and they had lost their home in the bushfire. They were rebuilding.

CHARLES NORTHCOTE, BLUECHP: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome here today. We're absolutely delighted to have the prime minister with us. My name is Charles Northcote, I'm the CEO of BlueCHP, we're a community housing provider and we have built these homes here and the one next door. And these are homes that are going to provide people with affordable housing, and they're going to see great benefit for their lives going forward.