Business delegation travelling with PM finally arrives in Japan

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was on hand to personally welcome the business delegation travelling with him when they finally arrived in Japan overnight.

Luxon left the group in Port Moresby on Sunday after the defence force plane broke down during refuelling.

The airforce Boeing 757 managed to fly the group to Brisbane before a diverted Air New Zealand flight carried them the rest of the way.

It's not yet clear if the trade mission will return to New Zealand on the Boeing 757 or a commercial flight.

The government did need to consider taking commercial flights for future overseas trips, National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis told Morning Report.

But she said the defence force planes were also used for defence purposes.

Asked how damaging the delay would be for the trade mission, Willis said New Zealand had an established relationship with Japan.

"I think the Japanese will judge New Zealand by the value of our relationship and we have a very strong relationship - a significant trading relationship, shared strategic interests, shared interests in the Pacific and that I am sure is the focus of the prime minister's and other's discussions."

"Of course everyone would have liked to have got there a bit earlier but they have safely arrived, they're on their way."

Earlier Willis told First Up the government would be looking at what needs to be purchased to future-proof the defence force and planes would be part of this.

Willis said as a relatively small country, this was the question we needed to ask ourselves:

"What is the special equipment that our defence force needs to do their job well and that does include being able to visit the Pacific to help out after disasters, it does include being able to get soldiers around the world quickly, so it's highly likely to include a plane capability.

"First let's do that assessment and then let's say how do we procure that in a way that makes sense and is affordable."