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New foreign minister Winston Peters may be a firebrand nationalist but he's also an ardent admirer of John Howard's Australia.
He frequently made envious remarks about the way things were done in Australia, particularly in the areas of immigration, asylum seekers, race and economic policy.
It was only when Australian business and government bodies encroached across the Tasman that Peters got upset with New Zealand's overbearing neighbour.
Even then, the New Zealand First leader likes to blame the government of the day in Wellington, not Canberra.
"One day we could all wake up speaking 'strine' and our sports teams will be wearing canary yellow instead of black," Peters said in February in response to a proposed trans-Tasman banking regulator.
"If that happens, much of it will be this government's fault."
Despite being a frequent target of his barbs, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark stunned international observers by appointing Peters as foreign affairs minister.
Peters, however, will not be a member of cabinet.
The foreign affairs post was part of a deal for New Zealand First to support her new Labour government.
Peters often urged "soft touch" New Zealand to follow the Howard government in adopting tougher immigration and security policies.
"We must learn from our overseas counterparts, including Australia, who take the threat of terrorism extremely seriously," he said in August.
"They take a hard line on immigration and any person wishing to live in Australia is required to demonstrate commitment and respect for their host country's customs and values.
"As we sit back here in New Zealand and naively congratulate ourselves on our diversity and multiculturalism, nations like Australia, Britain and the rest of the developed world are taking this situation seriously."
Even when Air New Zealand was blamed for the collapse of Australian subsidiary Ansett in 2001, Peters took Australia's side.
"It is unforgivable to have permitted such a sound and long lasting friendship with Australia to have become so fractured as the result of a number of inadequate businessmen and women failing in their responsibility to successfully administer a foreign-owned airline," he said.
While serving as deputy prime minister in 1997, Peters was also diplomatic when a leaked Australian government paper called him a "loose cannon," and an "opportunist" who "would not be above exploiting New Zealand sensitivities towards Australia".
He blamed it on "dingoistic" bureaucrats rather than Howard government.
But Peters was unhappy about Australian corporate ownership in New Zealand.
In September, he complained of New Zealand Steel's record profits going back to its Australian parent Bluescope Steel.
"A brilliant New Zealand success story - but who gets the benefit? Kiwis? No! The Aussies get the cream!" he said.
"And that is becoming the pattern in New Zealand - if it's worth owning, it belongs to foreigners."
