Asia & Pacific

Regional Security Concerns Amid the Smiles and Snow as Luxon, Albanese Meet for Talks

The prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand met for wide-ranging talks over the weekend but geopolitical tensions in the APAC region dominated.
Regional Security Concerns Amid the Smiles and Snow as Luxon, Albanese Meet for Talks
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and fiancée Jodie Haydon, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and wife Amanda Luxon pose for a selfie as they visit a mountain range in Central Otago on August 10, 2025 near Queenstown, New Zealand. Photo by Office of the Prime Minister of New Zealand via Getty Images
Rex Widerstrom
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As soon as he arrived, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was greeted by his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, with a bear hug. As they left the press conference, a visibly relaxed Albanese joked to the media, “We’re going inside for a cuddle.”

Albanese spoke of the “uncertain world” faced by both nations. The one certainty, he said, was that “Australia and New Zealand stand together,” as part of a relationship going back to the ANZACs.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.