- Hon Judith Collins KC
- Rt Hon Winston Peters
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins will host the second Australia and New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministers' Meeting (ANZMIN) in Auckland tomorrow.
"The ANZMIN is an important trans-Tasman forum for strengthening our alliance relationship and developing shared approaches to foreign policy, security, and defence," Mr Peters says.
The inaugural meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong was held in Melbourne in February.
"The closeness of our two nations has never been more important to safeguard our national interests, and chart a course towards a more peaceful, stable and prosperous world," Mr Peters says.
"This meeting is held in the context of a world that is increasingly divided and unstable. It is clear that as we navigate these challenges there is no greater partner for New Zealand than our closest friend and only formal ally, Australia."
Ms Collins says it's an excellent opportunity to continue to deepen our cooperation and alignment on key challenges facing the region and beyond.
"Since we met in February, New Zealand and Australia have deliberately focused on increasing our defence cooperation. Building off a strong base, and our shared history, we are striving to develop an increasingly integrated Anzac force to meet regional challenges.
"This meeting allows us to take stock of our achievements and set out our respective defence cooperation objectives for the future."
The ministers plan to discuss a wide range of strategic issues, including partnering in the Pacific, responding to growing instability in the Indo-Pacific, and the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts.
In addition to the joint meeting, Mr Peters and Ms Collins will hold separate bilateral meetings with their respective counterparts.
