Australia's foreign minister is describing the agreement for closer defence and foreign ties with New Zealand as a huge step forward in strengthening ties between the countries.
Australian officials will travel to New Zealand to brief the government on the advanced technology phase of AUKUS, the security partnership between Australia, the US and UK.
There will also be more defence exercises and stronger regional cooperation between New Zealand and Australia.
Otago University International Relations professor Robert Patman spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
