Prime Minister Helen Clark has spent a day across the Tasman for her first formal talks with her Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd.
The pair met late last year soon after Rudd swept to office but Wednesday's meeting in Canberra was the first opportunity for Clark to talk serious policy with Rudd.
For Clark, it was an opportunity to put the transtasman relationship firmly on Rudd's radar.
"I've described it as being like a relationship between cousins. We do so much together and have been for so long, it's a very deep and enduring relationship," said Clark.
After eight years of close ties with John Howard's government, Clark began working on forging a relationship with the new Rudd administration.
The two already have more in common on issues like Iraq and ratifying the Kyoto protocol to combat climate change.
They also spoke on Wednesday in one voice on democracy in Fiji following the expulsion of Fiji Sun editor Russell Hunter earlier this week.
"The action by the government of Fiji is to be condemned, it is unacceptable," said Rudd.
"It is inconceivable that you can hold open fair and free elections if you have media intimidation and great restraints on the freedom of expression," said Clark.
There was no escaping domestic politics for Clark when questions of parallels between New Zealand's impending election and the one that brought Rudd into power.
"I'm thrilled to see the government elected here (Australia) embracing those policies that we have longed stood for," said Clark.
Kevin Rudd who claims his climate change agenda was a key factor in his victory batted for Clark.
"New Zealand has always been forward looking on this climate change challenge under her prime ministership and that's something which I think, puts New Zealand into a good space in the future," said Rudd.
Clark and Rudd have had a good relationship ever since he was an opposition member in the Australian parliament.
Clark said after the meeting that she was happy with the way the events folded and said Rudd genuinely shared the view that the transtasman relationship was very important between the two countries and New Zealand was specifically a very good friend that could be relied upon.
The pair also discussed forging closer economic ties and a single emissions trading scheme that could be used by both NZ and Australia.
The Rudd government also discussed wanting to start a new kind of relationship with the help of NZ with the countries of the South Pacific where Australia is generally considered a bully.