Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern jets to Australia to meet counterpart Malcolm Turnbull for the first time. There’s a lot riding on the trip, but it’s not all about the heavyweight conversations – the pair will be taking the time to simply get a feel for one another. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

05 November 2017

OPINION: One’s a middle-aged multi-millionaire, and the other’s a millennial socialist.

One leads a right-wing party that held the former National Government’s economic policy as a shining example to emulate. The other is the left-wing leader who toppled that Government and holds a deep scepticism for capitalism.

It’s imperative Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s first meeting with her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull goes well.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has already held a couple of conversations with Ardern. (Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has already held a couple of conversations with Ardern. Although the pair may not match on paper, they’re both keen to be firm friends, do have some matching liberal views and value the importance of the NZ-Australian relationship.

The Australian media and business community, which have all had a bemusing love-affair with our former Prime Ministers John Key and Bill English, could do with a flash of stardust if this Government wants any gains for New Zealanders’ rights across the ditch.

The Australian Government’s policies towards stripping New Zealanders’ access to benefits is motivated purely by domestic politics.

Ardern will of course seek to reconfirm the pathway to citizenship forged by Key for New Zealanders living in Australia. But she will seek more information about rights to tertiary study there, and has already signalled a tit-for-tat approach if they begin to be eroded.

[Read the full Stuff article].