Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks to the media after violent crime statistics are released on 15 April 2025. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The Prime Minister will fly to the United Kingdom on Saturday, where he will meet King Charles and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Christopher Luxon said he will discuss "trade, security, and the geopolitical backdrop in Europe and the Indo-Pacific" with Starmer.
"New Zealand is a champion for free trade, and I look forward to talking to Sir Keir Starmer about what our countries can do together to support the rules-based trading system."
His visit will be an opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand's strong defence and security partnership with the UK.
"The UK is one of New Zealand's closest and most trusted partners, and for many Kiwis, it is where they base themselves on their OE.
"The UK is also important to New Zealand's prosperity. Our exports there grew by more than 20 percent in 2024 and are still growing."
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: Carl Court / POOL / AFP
Luxon will also visit Istanbul and travel to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day "to honour the commitment and sacrifice of all New Zealand war veterans".
"This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Prime Minister to Türkiye since 2015. It also coincides with the 110th anniversary of the ANZAC landings," said Luxon.
The trip comes as the tit-for-tat trade war between China and the US continues to play out.
Luxon's response to potential global economic upheaval was to hit the phones, calling world leaders to gauge the impact on their countries. A move later criticised by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters.
Luxon said he would be "comparing notes on world trade, and testing what we can do together to buttress the rules-based trading system".
Part of that was exploring the role of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in promoting free trade as a path to prosperity, he said.
The trip also comes after the coalition released its long-awaited Defence Capability Review that set out a spending blueprint for the next 15 years.
The government announced it will invest $12 billion over the next four years for a "modern, combat-capable" defence force.
The plan will lift New Zealand's defence spending from just over 1 percent of GDP to more than 2 percent in the next eight years, a percentage threshold signalled by Luxon and Peters, especially due to expectations from the US.
The UK announced its own lift in defence spending earlier this year, also reported as a signal to the US.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
