Reception to mark the 75th Anniversary of the
Australia-New Zealand Alliance
17 September 2026
HE Daniel Sloper, PSM, High Commissioner, Australia
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e rau rangatira mā.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
Good evening.
I acknowledge the Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Defence; Members of Parliament; the Chief of Defence Force, Vice Chief of Defence Force and Service Chiefs; members of the diplomatic community; and all distinguished guests.
I also extend my condolences to the Rt Hon Winston Peters, Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is unable to join us this evening for personal reasons.
I began this evening with a greeting in Te Reo Māori.
I would also like to follow Australian practice and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land and waters on which we meet and pay my respects to their enduring connection and stewardship of this region.
It is a pleasure to welcome you as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Australia-New Zealand Alliance.
Anniversaries are an opportunity not only to reflect on the past, but also to consider why a relationship has endured, and why it remains relevant today.
For Australia and New Zealand, the answer is simple.
In an increasingly uncertain world, trusted friends and partners matter. And Australia has no closer defence and security partner than New Zealand.
The Alliance, formally established through the ANZUS Treaty seventy-five years ago, was built on foundations laid much earlier.
Australians and New Zealanders served together at Gallipoli, on the Western Front, during the Second World War, and in operations around the world in the decades that followed, including the then East Timor intervention.
The ANZAC tradition was forged through shared service and sacrifice. Originally centred on the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, it is an important part of our national stories and represents a relationship that extends well beyond defence.
It is a relationship of trust and deep cooperation.
Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders call Australia home, and many Australians live in New Zealand. Millions travel across the Tasman each year for work, study, business, tourism, and to visit family and friends.
Our economies are closely connected, and our cooperation spans business, education, science, culture, sport and government.
These ties between our people are the foundation of everything we do together.
The alliance is strong because the broader relationship is strong.
This has enabled increasingly close defence cooperation. Our forces train together, exercise together, deploy together, and support one another in times of crisis.
Responding to regional challenges, supporting peacekeeping operations, delivering humanitarian assistance, or assisting partners across the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have consistently stood side by side.
Importantly, our alliance continues to evolve.
It is not simply a legacy of the past; it is a practical partnership designed to meet contemporary challenges.
Earlier this year, our Defence and Foreign Ministers committed to ANZAC 2035: a closer, more integrated and more interoperable ANZAC force capable of responding to an increasingly complex strategic environment.
That ambition is already being translated into action through initiatives such as Army's Plan ANZAC, Navy's Plan Tasman, and our Air Forces' combined vision statement.
We see it in New Zealand participation in Exercise Balikatan, in Australian personnel serving aboard New Zealand naval vessels, and in Exercise Agile Tasman, which saw the first deployment of Australian F-35s to New Zealand.
These activities strengthen interoperability, build readiness, and demonstrate our shared commitment to regional security and stability.
As Pacific nations, we understand that our security and prosperity are closely tied to those of our neighbours. We have long worked together in support of Pacific-led approaches to regional challenges.
Initiatives such as the Pacific Response Group demonstrate the practical value of that cooperation, and I acknowledge members of the Group with us this evening.
I also acknowledge representatives of Australia’s other enduring ally, the United States, and representatives of Papua New Guinea and Fiji, with whom we have recently entered into alliances.
Together, we are working to support a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
The next chapter of the Australia-New Zealand alliance will undoubtedly look different from the last. The strategic environment, technology and capabilities will change.
But the foundations of our relationship remain constant.
Australia and New Zealand share interests, values, a region, and a long history of working together to meet common challenges.
Of course, there are still a few matters not entirely settled. We continue to debate who invented the pavlova, ANZAC biscuit or flat white, and who can properly claim Phar Lap, Russell Crowe and Crowded House.
But friendly rivalry has never stood in the way of close cooperation.
For generations, when challenges have arisen, Australia and New Zealand have found themselves on the same side. That remains true today.
Ours is the closest relationship either of our countries enjoys.
It is built on trust, strengthened through practical cooperation, and sustained by a simple truth: we achieve more together.
Tonight, we celebrate seventy-five years of alliance with pride in what previous generations have built, gratitude for those whose service has strengthened this relationship, and confidence in its future.
Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses for a toast - to Australia and New Zealand: close friends, trusted partners and allies.