Her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison said he had no intention of changing the policy, and insisted it was not directed to any one country or any one nationality whatsoever .
The issue heated up last month when Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton described a planeload of deportees to New Zealand as trash .
The Foreign Affairs Minister was less outspoken during her press conference with Payne in Wellington on Thursday, but she didn t back down. We ve certainly moved on beyond those particular comments and the things that needed to be said were said at the time in relation to the statements made, she said of Dutton s remarks.
NZ angered by Australian deportations chinadaily.com.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chinadaily.com.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
She said this “hard call” was symbolic of a breakdown in the relationship, which was at its lowest ebb since the early 1980s, when prime ministers Rob Muldoon and Malcolm Fraser seriously clashed. “It speaks a lot about the lack of goodwill I’m seeing at the moment. I’ve never seen Australian and New Zealand relations at such a low ebb since the days of Rob Muldoon and Malcolm Fraser.” She said Australia “has to be human” but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also needed to reset her relationship with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “Jacinda Ardern needs to refresh the relationship with Scott Morrison and that will help refresh the relationship between Australia and New Zealand at the government level,” Collins said.