Prime Minister John Key says the issue of human rights, including the abduction of citizens, dominated his meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Mr Key had a 15-minute one on one discusssion with the president, whose country hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the capital Colombo.
John Key met with Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo. Photo: MFAT
Amnesty International says there is still a climate of fear and intimidation in Sri Lanka, in part because citizens continue to disappear in what are known as 'white van abductions'.
Parents of those who have disappeared over the years, who number in the thousands, put out a plea to the international community to put pressure on the Sri Lankan Government.
Mr Key asked the president specifically about abductions and was told the Government has a process for identifying those who remain missing, and where they might be.
He says Sri Lanka has presented New Zealand with an elephant for Auckland, in recognition of the two countries' burgeoning relationship.
Mr Key is now in Thailand for trade talks.