UK, NZ relationship ‘best it’s ever been’

Wednesday, 23 April 2025

NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have met - and discussed tariffs, the ongoing war in Ukraine and rising tensions in Europe, and the Indo-Pacific.

Luxon says he and Starmer are being “cool, calm and collected” in the face of sweeping trade tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Starmer greeted Luxon on the steps of 10 Downing St in London on Tuesday, local time, before the pair went inside for discussions on how the two countries could work together to strengthen trade and defence ties - and how they were both handling the relationship with the United States.

Emerging after about an hour, Luxon said the pair had“ a very successful bilateral” and that Starmer had described the relationship between the two countries as the best it has ever been.

Hours after the meeting, Luxon confirmed by a press statement that he intended to attend the Pope’s funeral at St Peter’s Basilica, after commemorating Anzac Day in Gallipoli.

Luxon said the two discussed the ”general tariff environment”, saying he and Starmer were “being pretty cool, calm, and collected about it”.

“We want a positive, constructive relationship with the US, we both have good connections and relationships with the new administration and also, we both have a desire to grow our economies and that requires us to accelerate trade with all countries.”

Luxon reaffirmed that New Zealand wouldn’t impose retaliatory tariffs as they would only hurt workers and low and middle-income families.

“The only people that you know are suffering really are the US consumer who ends up paying more for New Zealand goods and services.”

On Monday, China warned countries against trying to appease Trump at their own expense after reports the US would push governments to curb trade with China in exchange for tariff exemptions.

Asked by The Post if he was concerned that New Zealand could be forced to pick a side between two major partners in their trade war, Luxon said he was not worried but confirmed he would travel to China this year.

“I act in New Zealand's national interests, I'm the prime minister of New Zealand, and I act in our interest to advance our security interests, our economic interests and that’s why I’m here.”

Luxon and Starmer also discussed rising tensions in Europe, the Indo-Pacific region, and New Zealand’s role in helping ensure that sanctions between North Korea and Russia were being enforced.

He said it was important for New Zealand to continue to participate in surveillance operations monitoring the exchange of goods between North Korea and Russia which could be used in the war against Ukraine.

“At every opportunity, we’ve taken a chance to increase sanctions on Russian individuals and entities. We continue to stand with Ukraine and we keep calling out the fact that this war could end tomorrow, frankly, if Russia removed its troops. It's an illegal, immoral, unjust war.

“We're a small country, on the other side of the Earth, a long way away with limited resources, but we ain't going to be the ones that are going to be creating a ceasefire environment, and the peace that we want to see break out.

“I'm proud of us playing our part, because you can have values and you can go around the world talking about things and spouting off about it, and you've actually got to back it up with some action.”

Luxon announced on Monday that New Zealand would be extending its deployment of New Zealand Defence Force personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK out to the end of 2026.

It brings the total value of New Zealand support to $152 million in financial assistance and in-kind support to Ukraine.

Starmer and Luxon visited a military training site in the south of England on Tuesday where Luxon said it was inspiring to see New Zealand personnel making their contribution.

He also said it was “sobering to see Ukrainian soldiers that this time next week, will be back at the front line fighting for the freedom to defend their own country”.

Asked about the coalition of the willing - a potential arrangement between countries to support Ukraine in the event of a peace deal - Luxon said it was a definitional term that “everyone is struggling back at home with what it actually means”.

“Let me be really clear, it is essentially a very broad arrangement.”

Asked about NZ’s involvement Luxon said: “Well, you can get hung up on terms … over the last three years, we've been deeply involved in training Ukrainian soldiers. We continue to do so and we continue to stand [with] Ukraine and so there's different interpretations of what that is, or what that isn’t.

“I’m proud of what New Zealand's been doing with our defence personnel, proud of what we've been doing with our contributions to the Ukraine relief fund and also the sanctions that we’ve been applying to Russia.”

Starmer, in a statement from his office, thanked Luxon for New Zealand’s ongoing support for the coalition, adding that the planning phase was making good progress across all four domains - land, air, regeneration and sea.

“The Prime Minister welcomed New Zealand’s recent uplift in defence spending, and both agreed the direct link between defence spending, economic security and putting money back in the pockets of hardworking people,” the statement said.