New Zealand PM wants Canberra to change position on ‘corrosive’ issue which has seen hundreds of Kiwis deported from Australia

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern won’t raise climate change when she meets with Scott Morrison in Sydney but will push for a change in Canberra’s position on forced deportations.

Ardern was scheduled to hold talks with Morrison in the harbour city on Friday after briefly meeting with New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian in the morning.

The New Zealand prime minister speaks with Morrison more than any other leader to the point where her officials often joke they don’t need to do any work “because we often just resolve things directly”.

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But that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues of contention, Ardern acknowledged ahead of Thursday’s flight to Australia from Fiji.

New Zealand is held up as a great ally on climate issues in the Pacific while Australia is criticised for promoting fossil fuels.

The divide is such that Ardern – who has enshrined into law a pathway to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 – said she would not bother to raise the topic in Sydney.

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She pledged to discuss the “corrosive” issue of deportations which has seen hundreds of New Zealanders, some with limited links to their country of birth, deported from Australia after committing serious crimes.

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One of the most high-profile cases involves AFL star Dustin Martin’s father who was deported to New Zealand after living in Australia for 20 years because of his links to the Rebels bikie club.

Canberra has been unrelenting when it comes to the policy and New Zealand is realistic as to whether any concessions may be forthcoming.

Overall, however, Ardern knows the special bond between the regional neighbours means “we’re countries that lean on one another in times of need”.