‘We must stand together for equality’

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin made a ‘‘special request’’ to visit New Zealand. And when she arrived, she played up our unique similarities as small nations close to the poles. She called for unity and solidarity between democratic, traditionally progressive nations.

But in a world that’s becoming increasingly violent, witnessing the rise of hardmen and autocrats, ‘‘solidarity’’ is no longer a costless platitude.

Finland and New Zealand have limited trade and few opportunities to collaborate, largely due to location. But Marin pointed to many commonalities.

She talked about our histories in leading the world on giving women the right to vote.

She commended the value placed on te ao Ma¯ori. Her Social Democratic Party has been trying but struggling to pass a Sa´mi human rights bill.

In three years as prime minister, Marin has positioned Finland as a vocal advocate for human rights, delivering staunch speeches against the regimes of China, Russia, the Taliban and Iran.

She has argued that economic influences should not distract from rights abuses.

With a shared border, and its own experience of invasion by Russia, the war in Ukraine has been ‘‘at the doorstep’’ of Finland. In Auckland, Marin stressed the need for weapons to be sent to Ukraine. Earlier this year, she signed up previously neutral Finland to Nato.

Her focus on weaponry sits in contrast to New Zealand’s initial response, where Jacinda Ardern condemned the invasion but promised only ‘‘non-lethal aid’’. New Zealand soldiers are now training Ukrainian recruits in Europe.

She said she wanted to take things ‘‘to the next level’’ between Finland and New Zealand. ‘‘This is the first visit and I think we have a lot of things in common. We are both welfare states. Even though we are very far away from each other, I think the mentality of people is similar,’’ she said.

With populations of just over 5 million each, similar annual GDP, and histories fraught with colonisation, the two nations share many similarities.

Then there are our prime ministers. They attract significant global attention, relative to the size of their countries. Ardern noted that they do also stand out in a crowd of other world leaders.

As two highly influential women on a stage filled mostly with men, both spoke yesterday of the role they could play in advocating for the global advancement of women’s rights.

Marin took aim at Iran. Ardern shared her concern, criticising the Iranian parliament’s urging of the courts to impose death penalties for protesters who have called for women’s rights to be respected.

Marin said: ‘‘We must stand together for equality and human rights, and make sure that every woman and girl across the world has the same rights and same opportunities as men.’’

For Iran, in particular, its domestic abuses – and partnership with Russia – brought it to the centre of discussions. ‘‘They are using Iranian drones in Ukraine to kill people there,’’ Marin said.

Ardern said they would discuss how they could use their positions, as prominent women leaders, to push for women’s rights globally.

‘‘There is a sense of responsibility that we feel, given there are so few female leaders, to make sure we use our voice on behalf of those who are experiencing dire circumstances.’’

Although they presented a united image in front of the cameras yesterday, Marin and Ardern did not commit to any policy change. Nor did they solidify exact areas for further collaboration.

They did, however, show ‘‘solidarity’’ in their response to a suggestion this diplomatic mission was motivated purely by their similarity in age and gender. ‘‘We are meeting because we are prime ministers,’’ Marin said.