Anzac relations under stress

YOU could, if you felt like making light of a serious situation, have a bit of fun with the latest transtasman stoush and some of the verbal volleys flying between the leaders of New Zealand and Australia.

What examples can you identify of things in New Zealand we would happily send back to Australia, and things in Australia that would be welcome back here?

The list in the first category is easily filled. Begone, ugg boots. See you later, wallabies and possums and the various spiders that came from the big country. Good riddance, all Australian beer. And, yes, Neighbours can surely be restricted to the other side of the Ditch.

That is before we even get to the ‘‘501s’’, the criminals sent to New Zealand despite having no family or longterm connection here.

Things in Australia we would be keen to see back in Aotearoa? Not so many. Perhaps Russell Crowe — but only when he is winning awards. The good weather that was clearly stolen from us at some stage. A handful of rugby league players. Crowded House. And the bits that remain of champion racehorse Phar Lap.

It’s all a bit of a laugh, but New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was certainly not laughing this week when she tore into her Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, over the treatment of a suspected terrorist with links to both nations.

The woman, suspected of links to IS, and two young children were caught trying to enter Turkey from Syria illegally.

At first, the New Zealand and Australian governments were on board with finding a joint solution, as the woman has dual citizenship.

But, in tactics reminiscent of the underarm, the Australians promptly washed their hands of the case, revoking the woman’s citizenship — even though she had moved there from New Zealand when she was 6, still has family there, and has been travelling on an Australian passport — and leaving it up to New Zealand to deal with her.

Naturally, Ms Ardern was not best pleased at that development, especially as she was not informed first.

‘‘We will put our hands up when we need to own the situation. We expected the same of Australia. They did not act in good faith.’’

The clash of philosophies — the ‘‘be kind’’ Ardern mantra against the ‘‘pragmatic conservative’’ Morrison approach — was neatly summarised by University of Otago professor of international relations Robert Patman.

‘‘Jacinda Ardern has a different world view from Scott Morrison,’’ he told AAP.

‘‘Scott Morrison felt quite comfortable with Mr Trump, and the rightofcentre view of a world in which the great powers call the shots, the kissup, kickdown world. And I think Jacinda Ardern does believe passionately in an international rulesbased system.’’

There is a temptation to see this as just part of the political game. Mr Morrison gets to pander to his public and be seen as hardline on terrorism; Ms Ardern gets an easy win — even Judith Collins seems to be largely on board — and to be seen as a compassionate leader.

But we can still feel annoyed at Australia’s actions here, and back the firm stance taken by Ms Ardern.

She, on behalf of New Zealanders, has previously made clear her frustration at Australia’s deportation policy, saying ‘‘Do not deport your people and your problems’’, and yet it continues.

Our countries are close friends and allies. We have stood together and fought together, and share much in common. But our differing approaches to issues of citizenship is doing us no favours.

It escapes noone’s notice that, tucked away inside a maximumsecurity prison, having cost New Zealanders millions of dollars, a man who murdered 51 of our people is being housed for the rest of his life.

Are we the fools for retaining that humanitarian dignity in the way we treat criminals? Or is it Australia that must change the way it deals with these situations?

In the spirit of the Anzacs, we hope our neighbours can at least do a better job working with us, not against us.