Albanese embraced by NZ Prime Minister Chris Luxon as two countries flag increased defence cooperation
Both prime ministers were keen to present a united front on global uncertainty as they stood side by side in chilly Queenstown for annual talks.
After both countries signed a joint statement condemning Israel's plan to further expand its military operations in the Gaza Strip by taking over Gaza City, the leaders expressed their concern during their joint press conference.
Mr Albanese reiterated Australia's desire to see a ceasefire, as well as more aid flowing into the besieged Palestinian territory and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas..
Despite the United Kingdom, France and Canada all proposing to recognise a Palestinian state in September at a major United Nations meeting, Australia and New Zealand have not put a timeline on when they will look to do so.
Before formal discussions began, Mr Albanese was welcomed to New Zealand with a traditional Māori pōwhiri ceremony, and was embraced by Mr Luxon.
It's the seventh time the two leaders have met as prime ministers, but they've known each other since long before that, when Mr Luxon was the head of Air New Zealand and Mr Albanese was Australia's transport minister.
The official sit-down went for about an hour, after which the pair took a strictly limited six questions from the Australian and New Zealand press pack.
The leaders confirmed they had discussed China and security in the Indo-Pacific, while also noting they had both recently visited China — a significant trading partner to both nations.
They also made sure to emphasise their commitment to the Pacific family and its security.
On the home front, both leaders signalled a desire to deepen defence ties between the two countries, with Mr Luxon saying he wanted Australia and New Zealand's militaries to operate as one ANZAC force.
Despite a consistent push from the Trump administration for countries to boost their defence spending, both Mr Albanese and Mr Luxon stood by their current commitments to lift their spending to about 2 per cent of GDP.
However, Mr Luxon did signal that he hoped to raise that figure, if possible.
Mr Albanese's trip to New Zealand is only brief, lasting about 24 hours.
While it's his third visit since becoming prime minister in 2022, he has not travelled to Queenstown since he was a young backpacker.
He'll get a very different experience of the sites this time around — Mr Luxon and his wife are expected to spend Sunday morning showing Mr Albanese and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, the city's stunning surrounds.
Mr Albanese and Mr Luxon are both keen to promote tourism between their two countries, given Australia and New Zealand are each other's biggest tourism markets.
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Global chaos dominates Albo's NZ jaunt
Anthony Albanese has wrapped a 'successful visit' to New Zealand by joining Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon on a helicopter jaunt over the country's Southern Alps. The prime ministers were all hugs and smiles as they held their annual talks. But even in the chilly tranquillity of New Zealand's snow-capped peaks neither leader could escape the shadow of wars raging on multiple continents and conflict looming closer to home. It was against this backdrop that Mr Albanese on Sunday stressed that Canberra and Wellington were in lock-step. 'When Australians think of New Zealand, we think of the Anzacs and we think of the sacrifice that we've made together in defence of our freedom,' he told reporters in Arrowtown, a historic mining town northwest of Queenstown. 'Australia and New Zealand are great friends – we think alike and we act alike on the international stage. 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