Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape will visit New Zealand for the first time next week.
James Marape the member for Tari Pori is the new prime minister of Papua New Guinea. May 2019 Photo: Post Courier Newspaper
Mr Marape's New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, made the announcement today.
"New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have a warm and friendly relationship. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Marape and continuing the conversations we started at our first meeting at the Pacific Island forum," Ms Ardern said.
In a statement, the New Zealand government said the visit, from 13 to 15 November, would be an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with PNG as part of New Zealand's Pacific Reset policy, as well as discuss shared regional interests, including support for the upcoming Bougainville referendum on independence.