Ms Ardern said New Zealanders were critical of Australia deporting people who moved there as children. (ABC News)

Stephen Dziedzic – ABC New, Foreign Affairs reporter

Successive New Zealand governments have complained about Australia’s policy of deporting non-citizens who have committed crimes. More than 1,500 New Zealanders have been deported since the Government toughened its approach.

But Jacinda Ardern said many of those deported had spent most or all of their lives in Australia, and had no real ties to New Zealand. “In my view this issue has become corrosive in our relationship over time,” Ms Ardern said at a joint press conference with Scott Morrison in Auckland.

Many of the New Zealanders who have been deported across the Tasman have also gone on to commit crimes, deepening Wellington’s frustrations.

Both leaders also emphasised that Australia-New Zealand ties remained strong, despite the deepening dispute.

Ardern: “In my view this issue has become corrosive in our relationship over time,” Source: ABC News

[Read the full ABC article].