Australia's foreign minister Julie Bishop has arrived in Auckland for talks with her New Zealand counterpart on the first day of an introductory tour around the region.
Ms Bishop will meet with NZ Foreign Minister Murray McCully on Wednesday afternoon, with Fiji, aid to the Pacific and Kiwis' rights all likely to be high on the agenda.
The meeting occurs on the same day as NZ Prime Minister John Key flies across the ditch for talks with Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Canberra.
The foreign ministers will discuss Fiji's troubled transition back to democracy, as well as economic development and stability across the Pacific region.
They're also likely to touch on the Abbott government's decision to merge AusAID with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, given the Key government ordered a similar merger in 2009.
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Mr McCully is also expected to air some long-running grievances with Howard government immigration laws that curtail Kiwis' rights to residency, citizenship and welfare in Australia.
Ms Bishop heads to Singapore on Thursday before flying to the Indonesian island of Bali for APEC talks on Friday and Saturday.
