Hosted by the Australian Institute of International Affairs and the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs on 5 December 2024.

It is difficult to think of two countries more closely aligned than Australia and New Zealand. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade describes the neighbours as 'natural allies with a strong trans-Tasman sense of family' and New Zealand's Ministry of Defence says that New Zealand has 'no better friend and no closer ally'.

But the perceived and practical closeness of Australia and New Zealand also means that their alliance is so taken-for-granted that it is seldom analysed. In the November special issue​ of the Australian Journal of International Affairs scholars from both sides of the Tasman address this gap by examining the current state of the alliance and identifying issues likely to test it in the future.

The event brought together Anna Powles and Joanne Wallis, the guest editors of the special issue, for a stocktake of the current state of the Australia-New Zealand alliance. They were joined by contributors Darren Lim and Jason Young, who will focus on the allies' differing relationships with China and consider what that means for the future of their relationship. The discussion was chaired by David Capie.

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