By Xinhua,
Canberra : Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday congratulated New Zealand National Party leader John Key on his election victory and invited him for a state visit.
The New Zealand National Party won the victory in general elections held on Saturday, winning 59 seats in the 122-seat parliament, and ending nine years of Labor rule under the current Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Rudd told reporters in Canberra that he telephoned Key on Saturday night to congratulate him on “a fine win for himself and his party”.
“I’ve also invited John to visit Australia at the earliest opportunity for him to undertake an official state visit, and I think that would be a great opportunity to begin this new period in the relationship,” he added.
Talking about the impact of the change of government in New Zealand on bilateral ties, Rudd said he believed that the relationship between the two countries was strong and beyond party politics.