Mahuta gave her second major speech as Foreign Affairs Minister at a NZ China Council meeting on Monday, laying out New Zealand's perspective on its relationship with China.
In it, Mahuta said there are some matters in which the two countries "do not, cannot and will not, agree", before pinpointing concerns with Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's democracy, the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang and cyber incidents.
She acknowledged New Zealand often speaks out alone and also sometimes in joint statements with partners. For example, Aotearoa has previously joined its Five Eyes partners in raising concern about actions in Hong Kong, but has also registered issues independently.