Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What contrasts exist between Luxon and Ardern's approaches to Australia?
Is it just me or did it occur to anyone else what a contrast it was watching Christopher Luxen cracking the jokes with Anthony Albanese to what it was like when Jacinda Ardern used to visit Australia?
For all of her kindness and her communication, when she was the Prime Minister, she would use those trips to Aussie often to give the then Prime Minister Scott Morrison a tongue lashing, usually over the 501 deportees, which was pointless, obviously. Nothing was going to change. The Aussies weren't going to change their minds. This weekend, though, by contrast, was a lovin'.
And that is despite the fact that we gave them something they could actually have genuinely been upset about.
Because Nicola Willis has gone probably a little too hard having cracks at them for their capital gains tax changes in the budget, which they're very sensitive about because they're copping huge blowback over there. And yet no drama. Albanese wrote it off as cheekiness. He was cracking jokes with Luxon about Kiwi immigrants.
Chapter 2: How did Albanese react to criticisms from New Zealand?
They were taking turns going first with the questions.
They were affirming each other and welcoming closer ties and strengthening shared resilience. You know, it's turning into a little bit of a cliched thing to say now. But Luxon really is in his element overseas. He sounded every bit the statesman who had thought deeply about the degrading state of international affairs and what New Zealand needed to do to weather the coming storm.
Chapter 3: What makes Luxon effective in international settings?
And I thought as I listened to him pitch how kick-ass Australia and New Zealand are going to be. that he was actually doing a better job of selling Australia to the world than the Prime Minister of Australia was doing. Luxon's a big ideas guy.
Chapter 4: Why is collaboration with Australia important for New Zealand?
Selling his country and his region and getting on with people is his party trick. Isn't that, though, a better strategy when you think about it than always fighting with your only ally?