Jacinda Ardern will travel to Australia on Sunday to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. (Getty Images)

31 October 2017

On Sunday Jacinda Ardern will travel to to Sydney as her first official overseas trip as Prime Minister. She will have a brunch meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who she has never met before.

After being named Prime Minister-designate, Ardern said she planned to travel to Australia as soon as possible, following rocky relations between the two countries in recent months.

Relations between Turnbull’s Australia and New Zealand haven’t been as strong as they used to be, due to treatment of New Zealand citizens living in Australia. (Photo: Stuff)

During the lead up to the election, Ardern said she was prepared to retaliate, and charge Australian students international student fees, if Australia did not improve its treatment of Kiwis living across the ditch.

Ardern said that was “an ongoing issue that I will continue to raise, as have past prime ministers.”

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop: “Should there be a change of government, I would find it very hard to build trust with those involved in allegations designed to undermine the government of Australia”. (Alex Ellinghausen/Fairfax Australia)

“The Trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s most important,” Ardern said on Tuesday.

“Our economies are among the most integrated in the world with strong trade, people and investment flows. And we are stronger together on the international stage.”

[Read the full Stuff article].