New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian her country felt "very deeply" for the state during the summer's bushfires.
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The two leaders met on Friday morning out front of NSW Parliament House after Ms Ardern arrived in Sydney on Thursday afternoon.
They shook hands and spoke before going on a short tour of the Macquarie Street building and a brief meeting in Ms Berejiklian's office.
Ms Ardern thanked the premier for hosting her and said she wanted to follow up on the contact the two had over summer.
"New Zealand has felt very deeply what you have been experiencing," she said.
The prime minister noted the devastating bushfires were on the minds of New Zealanders, amplified by the bushfire smoke which blew across the Tasman.
Ms Ardern told the premier she hoped they could work together not just in times of disaster but also by developing commercial ties.
Ms Berejiklian told the prime minister she was delighted by Ms Ardern's arrival.
"We are so deeply grateful for your support," she said.
"Especially the moral support of your personal messages to me which I passed onto the team ... thank you."
During her visit across the ditch, Ms Ardern is scheduled to meet with Governor-General David Hurley and hold talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison later on Friday.
The NZ prime minister said she speaks with Mr Morrison more than any other leader to the point "we often just resolve things directly".
But that doesn't mean there are no issues of contention, Ms Ardern acknowledged ahead of Thursday's flight to Australia from Fiji.
New Zealand is held up as an advocate for greater climate change action while Australia is criticised among Pacific Island nations for its defence of fossil fuels.
The divide is such that Ms Ardern - who has enshrined into law New Zealand's path to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 - says she won't raise the topic in Sydney.
She has pledged to discuss the "corrosive" issue of deportations which has seen hundreds of New Zealanders, some with limited links to their country of birth, deported from Australia after committing serious crimes.
One of the most high-profile cases involves AFL star Dustin Martin's father who was deported to New Zealand after living in Australia for 20 years because of his links to the Rebels bikie club.
Canberra has been intransigent on the policy and Wellington is realistic on the possibility of concessions.
However Ms Ardern maintained the special bond between the neighbours meant "we're countries that lean on one another in times of need".
Australian Associated Press
