 te te kouta katoa. I'm really pleased to be here today with Senator Wong following our first in-person bilateral meeting and I'm sure this will be the first of many meetings and I look forward for us working closely together. Thank you for travelling to Aotearoa New Zealand for consultations. I know you've had a busy travel programme. I hope you'll agree that we had a productive and full meeting and in fact there's so much that we can work together on. I appreciated hearing from you about your ambitions for Australian foreign policy and there can be no doubt that you've hit the ground running. In an increasingly uncertain and risky geostrategic environment it's really important that we communicate and coordinate across the foreign policy spectrum. As we've set out in our joint statement having a neighbour who is also a close friend is more essential than ever for the security and wellbeing of the citizens of both nations. During our consultations we discussed cooperation and engagement in the Pacific region, in particular the importance of working together to support Pacific partners facing a complex and growing array of challenges including the impacts of climate change and an increasingly contested strategic environment. Our common goals on the international stage including our support for the international rules-based order and its institutions. Climate change and the responsibility on countries to commit to ambitious climate change action. Our responses to Russia's unprovoked and agrarious invasion of Ukraine. And in an area close to my heart welcomed our discussion on placing indigenous voices at the heart of foreign policy. I look forward to further discussions on this and many more issues that are important, sharing our experience and as we develop and implement an indigenous foreign policy outlook I know that we have much to do together. I hope that your journey with regards to responding and implementing the Yuluri Statement of the Heart is one that we can share and support. Further details on the breadth of issues, Minister Wong and I discussed to set out in our joint statement. Can I invite you now Minister to have a call? Thank you very much. Can I thank Foreign Minister Moeta for hosting me and my delegation here today. It's been a really wonderful opportunity and you did us a great honour with the formal welcome and the hospitality that you've shown. I want to say to all of you, obviously we're a new government in Australia. We come with a range of different priorities and objectives, a very different view on climate change to our predecessors and a very strong focus on the region. I want, we want, a strong working relationship, a close working relationship with the Government of New Zealand. And as your Foreign Minister has said, we have such a close friendship between our two nations and that is part of who we are. It's also essential for the security and wellbeing of our citizens, even more so in the world in which we stand. We're allies, we're friends and we're partners in the region and the world that, as the Minister said, is experiencing a much sharper set of challenges. I particularly wanted to emphasise that we see New Zealand as family and we see our partnership as indispensable. We know we can always rely on each other. One of the areas I am most grateful that we did engage on was having an Indigenous perspective on foreign policy and Foreign Minister brings such a depth of personal wisdom to that. One of the differences between the past and the New Australian Government is we committed to implementing the Yuluri Statement from the Heart. We want, I want as Foreign Minister that to be part of how we talk about ourselves to the world and how we engage with the world as well as what we do domestically. We discussed many matters. One of them was of course the importance of the Pacific Island Forum, the unique role of the forum and the security architecture associated with the forum. We both welcome the unity of the forum being reinforced and the sustained efforts of all Pacific leaders or so many Pacific leaders in support of the forum. As we go forward, I am really confident and optimistic about the ways in which Foreign Minister Mahuta and I can work together. I really appreciated her insights as someone who's been in the jobs longer than I and has a much greater insight into the Pacific. I really have appreciated her insights in our very constructive and pretty long and very friendly discussions. So thank you very much Foreign Minister for inviting me here. Thank you very much for the opportunity to engage with you and to work with you in the future. Thank you. Well, we'll take some questions. Did you discuss today China's recent moves in the Pacific and what can New Zealand and Australia do about it? We can work together and we do and will. And we have both recognised that the Pacific is a contested space and so by working together it will be important to ensure that we work alongside the Pacific as they define their priorities but also the way in which we partner the Pacific on their biggest issues like climate change, like economic resilience are areas where we've identified there are opportunities for us to work together. Minister Mahuta, you've been criticised for not actually having any recent visits to for example the Solomon's in Samoa. Do you have any plans for those visits and how do you take that criticism? Oh, look, I think our relationship across the Pacific is very strong and when I came into the role certainly started to ensure that we had a range of engagements with the Pacific. As borders open I've indicated that I will go to the Pacific and certainly with the PIF coming up very soon that is an area where I want to ensure that we can address some of the regional issues so I'm keen to be travelling to the Pacific. You like travelling? Yeah, I do actually. The difficulty for me when I came into office as you know, borders weren't open so we had a two years of a COVID response and it was really practically challenging. Minister Wong, since taking the job you've been heavy in the language use of calling Australia part of the Pacific family. Can I ask firstly, what is your assessment of whether Pacific nations consider Australia a member of that family perhaps an estranged member and secondly, do you think we are on the cusp of a remaking of the Pacific security architecture updating Victoria at the next Pacific Island forum? Well, first I think Australia has more to do as a member of the Pacific family and I don't think anybody watching I don't want to get into too much domestic politics but I don't think anybody watching what has occurred in terms of various Pacific Island forum engagements and bilateral engagements would doubt that many countries in the region have been concerned about Australia's previous position on climate and I know that from when I was climate minister so I was climate minister between 2007 and 2010 it was expressed to me then as is articulated including in the boy declaration that climate change was the number one national security and economic challenge facing the region so part of why I wanted to engage really early was because I think we do have some ground to make up and we want to demonstrate we bring a commitment stronger and more ambitious commitments on climate because we actually think it matters and more resources and more energy on that in terms of your question about what the forum will deal with obviously that will be a matter for foreign ministers and leaders it will be a matter for the region we've got a question down the front our government has worked very hard with our engagement with Thomas Fenwell with Māori here what can you take back to your government in terms of engagement co-governance perhaps with your iwi Indigenous people that's a word I've learnt today we can learn a lot from your country and you know I'm reluctant to speak outside of my policy area and some of the things you reference are really issues that are within domestic portfolios but I will just talk in general terms I think we can learn a lot about the way you have learnt to work together and some of the difficult things you have addressed I think the respect both in some of your legal frameworks but also in terms of how you talk about who you are for for Māori is different and it's a journey we're on and I always used to say during the election that there are many reasons why I wanted to win government for the country and I wouldn't mind doing this job either obviously but for the country but first among them was the hope that we could be part of a government that could work with our First Nations people to implement the euro statement from the heart with all of its power and graciousness Senator Wong what do you expect Datos role in this region is going to achieve and particularly Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan play in connection with NATO and how will NATO's role differ or supplement that of the pod? Well we didn't actually have much discussion about NATO per se but we did talk a lot more about what we could do in terms of our coordination on the development assistance climate policy as between our two nations and certainly could we coordinate better with other development partners and so we certainly want to work on that I think the whole is often greater than the sum of the parts and I think there's certainly a willingness for us to work together more closely on some of those matters Senator Wong follow up on what you said about the need for coordination Australia isn't a growing number of groupings, alliances that New Zealand is not the quads orcas what complications does that pose and so far as you may have access to information and arrangements that you possibly can't share as really with New Zealand as you might like and how do you resolve that? Would it be helpful for New Zealand to see associate status if they have a role in any of these? I'm not here to determine the policy of New Zealand I'm sure you're quite capable of doing that I don't see setting it up as a binary, I don't agree with that I think we went to the Quad meeting obviously is one of our first meetings a few hours after we were we were sworn in that's a very important group particularly at a time of strategic competition but it works alongside other parts of the regional architecture or other aspects of regional architecture whether it's ASEAN or the EAS these are discussions between light-minded partners that work alongside regional architecture including obviously the Pacific Island Forum which is of central importance to our two nations I think we live in a time where we know that there is a lot more contest more competition in the world in which we live we should be focused on working with others about what we're for and what we're for is peace, prosperity stability and the rules of the road being predictable and applicable to all nations but we are we are to be a a a a a a a a a a a between our Prime Ministers, and I think Prime Minister Abernise has made some statements about that. We understand the concerns that have been raised. We'll take those into consideration. Minister, te tētai pātai koe, haitai o ngā kōrero ngā rautaki rāne kua whakatakotoria e koe kōrero tahi ki tēnei milita pāna ki te tino rangatiratanga o ngā iwi taketake? Ke tawira kai wanganui ā mātau, ke ātata tī tero ki tētihi whānganu nui, mehe mea kā kāpūi e te whakāro kai roto i ā Hitraria, me te minister nei ki te tiaki ngā manoko o ngā tangata whenua o Aotearoa, tī tero mai kai ā mātau itihi o ngā tawira. What are some things you've learned from Mr Markester in New Zealand and how do you find the portfiti this morning and singing of the waita? I was really moved actually. Too much of a softie sometimes, clearly. I was really moving. It's an act of respect and honour, isn't it? You feel the power of that and being welcome to someone's land is, you feel the importance of that. What was the first part of your question? Oh, first nation's foreign policy, Indigenous foreign policy. Well, look, I think I've sort of referenced that in answer to one of your colleagues earlier. I've explained why we want to. I think it's about who we are. We are a modern multicultural diverse nation and we have the privilege of one of the oldest continuing cultures on Earth and we should integrate that much more into how we engage with the world and how we talk to and with the world and about ourselves. I think I read a couple of speeches from Prime Minister Mahuta as preparation for this where she talked about concepts, Māori concepts that were important to her foreign policy and to your foreign policy. I thought they were extraordinarily powerful. They're not speeches I could give yet around what it is from First Nations heritage that we would want to include. So I suppose one of the things I learnt is that is one of the ways in which you can do it, at least to talk about who you are and how that is expressed through your foreign policy drawing on your heritage in a different way. Minister Wong, how valuable has the face-to-face engagement you've had through your travels in the Pacific Bay and what do you hope to achieve visiting the Solomon's tomorrow, I believe? Well, I said early on that I wanted to bring new energy and new resources to the Pacific as I said in answer to one of your colleagues. I think we've got a bit of ground to make up. We recognise that and it was important for me to get out and listen to people's perspectives and learn from that, but also to talk with them about our renewed ambition on climate, our much more ambitious commitments and our commitments on labour mobility and Pacific engagement. So when it comes to land use or, say, our interest in the economic, our needs are, and additional development assistance or which are part of our election commitments. So does that mean there are a few more questions? On the Pacific there appears to have been a de facto division in the past where New Zealand has focused primarily on Polynesian nations, I think Australia, kaia rungi te. Apai i ngodiai sy�aka signature announcement. meeting and briefing in terms of the relationship across the whole of the Pacific. We both agreed that things have changed. As I said earlier the Pacific is a contested space. We need to work together through regional institutions to support the Pacific and their aspirations that we'll require by in large a lined effort but it also will rely There are challenges on our issues. We need the city to be qualified. Things have changed, and we're in a new conversation space around where the Pacific priorities must be from. It's our view that the Pacific is a key to antibängen what that looks like. I have no final question to ask, so I came back. mesta benetiaa, and that headphones ano ka ka maka ka completion kapa ka ka pa ka hometibaldiband сегодня ka k primo fara te kia bayi ka ka nan na raulia mae diulia Australia sawi to어 ki ka runga mo ka be ma ka ka ka coa haa abcia ka hivelezaoka abusive pa ka ka maa ka maa ka opa jam ka dim ka ko kani i esis ka maa ka forma ka haa ka maa ka meretara provoda ka maa ka kao disappeared ka ku kani duman운 i ka maa ka maa ka raulia ka laca maa ka i ALrepak ka maee ka kataid. Managala, ma юtua. Niaf, raka maika, wh nan kaita rara tegezonggio raka te gamea e kai hura. to avoid and over-align it's already indecting this on China? So, you ask questions with lots of bits to them. Yeah, well look, in terms of operation sovereign borders, we've been clear, including offshore processing, we've been clear about the government's maintenance of that. Your question about indebtedness though is a very important one. And, you know, the sustainability and of debt financing for developing countries, particularly those in our region, is of interest to both our nations. It goes to sovereignty and choice and it goes to stability. It also potentially goes to security of the region. You know, I think we are both our nations, both our countries are seized as are other members of the Pacific Island Forum about the importance of debt arrangements which are reasonable and fair and which avoid countries being unduly burdened, not just in the now, but in the decades to come. Thank you very much. And last question and then that's it. This one's for both Ministers. What do you both make of China's move to extend its military operations in the Taiwan Strait? We've experienced a real challenge in terms of China's influence across the Indo-Pacific region. Can I just say that in the latest readout of my meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Ye, I reflected our views in that area that we want greater stability and peace to be the priority. And that will be very important and we'll commit ourselves to ensuring that that remains the message and the focus in the Taiwan Strait. Yeah, and our long-standing position is very clear. We support the status quo and we would urge there be no unilateral changes which would disrupt the status quo in relation to the status of Taiwan. Thank you. Thank you for your time.