Boris Johnson goes head-to-head with Kiwis: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern visits Downing Street for trade and defence talks on her first UK trip since she closed her nation’s borders during the Covid pandemic
- PM went head-to-head with Maori dancers from kapa haka group in No10 garden
- Ardern visit was a welcome distraction for the PM from domestic problems
- NZ PM said her visit to the UK and Europe was ‘incredibly important milestone’
Boris Johnson was treated to a full haka experience today as he welcomed New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern to Downing Street for her first visit to London since the end of the Covid pandemic.
The PM went head-to-head with Maori dancers from a kapa haka group in the No10 garden today alongside talks dominated by global trade and the war in Ukraine.
Her visit was a welcome distraction for the PM from domestic problems involving former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
The two met at the Nato conference in Madrid earlier this week and Mrs Ardern said her visit to the UK and Europe was an ‘incredibly important milestone for us in New Zealand’.
The country only recently reopened its borders to international visitors, after two years of a strict border policy amid the global pandemic.
The two leaders signed an agreement to extend the Youth Mobility and Working Holiday schemes and allow more people to visit and work in the two countries.
The maximum age limit for applicants will be raised from 30 to 35, and the maximum length of time people can stay in the host country will be increased from various durations to three years.
The PM went head-to-head with Maori dancers from a kapa haka group in the No10 garden today alongside talks dominated by global trade and the war in Ukraine.
Her visit was a welcome distraction for the PM from domestic problems involving former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
The two met at the Nato conference in Madrid earlier this week and Mrs Ardern said her visit to the UK and Europe, she said, was an ‘incredibly important milestone for us in New Zealand’.
Boris Johnson meets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden watch the Kapa Haka group give a performance in the garden of 10 Downing Street.
Mr Johnson greeted Ms Ardern with a handshake outside the door of Number 10. Inside, with the Union and New Zealand flags in the background, Mr Johnson said it was a ‘great, great pleasure’ to welcome her to Downing Street.
While he said it was her first visit since the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Johnson also pointed out that it was her first trip since the two countries signed a fresh free trade deal in February.
‘Very good to see you,’ he told Ms Ardern, as he praised the ‘very strong line that you take on Ukraine’.
Fresh from the Nato summit in Madrid, which she attended alongside Mr Johnson, Ms Ardern told the Prime Minister: ‘Thank you so much for the opportunity to meet you.’
Ms Ardern said it signified ‘we are open for business, for trade, for tourism’.
The New Zealand prime minister said the pair would be discussing the recently signed trade deal and progress on ratification.
She said the deal was good for both the UK and New Zealand.
Ms Ardern also said they would discuss the situation in Ukraine.
She told the Prime Minister it was a good ‘opportunity’ to discuss the way the two countries have together responded to the war, noting the UK leadership on the conflict.
‘We have also provided our military aid via our partnership with you,’ she told Mr Johnson.
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