Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins that no two countries are closer than Australia and New Zealand, ahead of the pair’s bilateral meeting in Wellington today.

Albanese is in Wellington for bilateral meetings and to celebrate Australia and New Zealand jointly hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

He said it was the pair’s fifth meeting since Hipkins became prime minister in February. .

“The first person I welcomed as Prime Minister in Australia was Prime Minister Ardern. Your visit so soon after was a very welcome one,” Albanese said.

 “Since then the five meetings have helped cement the nature of the relationship - there are no two countries in the world that are closer,” he said.

“The five meetings have helped to cement the nature of our relationship, which is, of course, there are no two countries in the world that are closer in Australia and New Zealand

“We share so much history, we share so much culture,” he said.

Albanese arrived at Parliament shortly after 1pm. He was welcomed with a powhiri, before meeting Hipkins and Speaker Adrian Rurawhe.

He was then welcomed onto the floor of Parliament, where he attended Question Time. It was the first time an Australian Prime Minister has been in the Chamber since Julia Gillard addressed NZ Parliament in 2011.

Albanese, seated to the left of the Speaker, could be seen talking to National MP Simeon Brown, who was seated nearby.

The pair talked about how New Zealand’s Question Time works. Ministers in New Zealand get notice of what the first question they are asked will be, unlike in Australia where Ministers get no prior notice.

On Wednesday evening, he will attend a gala dinner hosted by the Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government house, marking the 40th anniversary of Closer Economic Relations (CER) Agreement between NZ and Australia.

It is not the only diplomatic visit to Wellington this week. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will also be visiting. He arrives tonight and will have a suite of engagements on Thursday morning.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was welcomed to Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Ahead of Albanese’s visit, Hipkins said he believed “the trans-Tasman relationship is the strongest it has been in decades”.

This is largely a result of Australia making tweaks to its controversial 501 deportation policy and opening up a pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders resident in Australia.

“Prime Minister Albanese’s visit is a chance to recognise our past achievements, to celebrate the progress we have made this year and to set ambition for where Australia and New Zealand want to go next,” Hipkins said.

The pair are also celebrating the co-hosing of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup is an example of how our countries work together to deliver on the world stage, and is a clear demonstration of our two countries’ strong commitment to gender equality and fairness,” Hipkins said.