Jacinda Ardern talks tough on fair access for Kiwis in Australia

Incoming New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hopes the Turnbull government doesn't go ahead and restrict Kiwis from university courses in Australia as she may be forced to end a reciprocal arrangement.

Ardern told Sky News on Sunday she hopes the mutual access continues.

Ardern made the comments during the election campaign in response to New Zealanders living in Australia losing access to affordable university study.

"But if we do find New Zealanders aren't able to access tertiary education the same way as Australians currently do, there will be flow-on effects here," she said.

"I hope it doesn't come to that, I hope that we have that degree of mutual policy and access that we have had in the past."

She also intends to stick with the 11-member trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations as long as she can limit foreign investment in New Zealand housing.

"Our view has been that there has to be a balance between delivering for our exporters but also making sure we can protect the ability of New Zealanders to buy homes," she said.
She insists her Labour government believes in free trade and will do so in the future.

But she said the economy must deliver for all New Zealanders. "At the moment New Zealanders are not seeing the gains of economic prosperity," she said.

"What is the point, for instance, of having up to three per cent growth when you have some of the worst homelessness in the OECD."

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has congratulated Ms Ardern, who says she hopes to travel across the Tasman to meet with Mr Turnbull soon.

She said Turnbull had extended an invitation for her to come anytime.

When asked if she plans to speak with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, she said she has the intention to meet with her in the near future.

"I don't foresee there being any issues," she said.

Turnbull said on Friday that now was not the time for "scratching away at past political episodes", referring to comments Bishop made in August that suggested she would find it hard to trust a Labour government in Wellington.

"I've got no doubt we will work together effectively and confidentially and constructively as Australian and New Zealand prime ministers have done from different political persuasions across the ditch for generations," he said.

Turnbull said Bishop had no reason to apologise after the foreign minister accused NZ Labour of conspiring to undermine the Australian government by revealing the citizenship status of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Bishop insisted she had accepted Ms Ardern's explanation.

"(Ardern) said the conduct of her colleague was wrong and it was unacceptable and should not have occurred," she told reporters in Sydney.

"I graciously accepted her explanation and agree with her entirely and we move on."