"This is an issue for New Zealand that reaches beyond political parties."
New Zealand had been concerned that some people - who had little to no connection to New Zealand - had been deported here and behaved anti-socially.
Ardern said citizenship issues for Kiwis living in Australia have also been on the table since her time in office - and would continue to be an issue she raises.
"This is the first engagement with the prime minister, it will be a positive one."
Climate change top of agenda for Pacific Island Forum
The Pacific Island Forum, and members themselves had said, that the number one issue was climate change.
When asked whether any date had been set for the forum, Ardern said it wasn't for her to announce.
"We are planning around dates ... but it's not for me to confirm them."
She said the forum members were all keen to meet and she was confident that the opportunity for it would arise very soon.
In the coming week, Ardern said New Zealand would welcome Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa.
No known or suspected monkeypox cases in NZ - PM
The PM announced Monkeypox is now a notifiable infectious disease.
There was no known or suspected cases of Monkeypox at this time, and the risk was low to moderate, Ardern said.
Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall said the two diseases (monkeypox and Covid) were different in their nature.
Monkeypox had previously led to quite short chains of transmission and outbreaks had been limited, she said.
On reports smallpox vaccinations could prevent monkeypox, Verrall said New Zealand had a smallpox vaccine but it wasn't the ideal vaccine to prevent monkeypox.
New Zealand's response to monkeypox would be led by testing and contact tracing, Verrall said.
Verrall said it's believed infectivity started after symptoms with monkeypox.
'There is escalation, no question'
On the spate of shootings in Auckland, Ardern said: "the issue we have right now is there is escalation, no question."
The police needed to be supported, she said.
"Our job is to make sure they have enough police officers ... and the legislation around firearms that they need," she said.
Policies around certain guns being prohibited was already in place, she said.
"We do need to respond to the escalation and tensions we've see particularly between two gangs in Auckland at this time."
There has clearly been an escalation, Ardern said.
Russia-Ukraine solution doesn't appear to be near
On the Russia and Ukraine war, Ardern said everyone has been seeking a diplomatic solution but that solution has not be found nor does it appear to be near.
"What has happened here is illegal and it's wrong."
"Do we support a diplomatic resolution? ... absolutely ... but we are not [the ones to determine] what needs to be brokered."
Ardern was fronting her first post-Cabinet press conference since returning from the United States last week.
While Ardern was abroad, Acting Prime Minister Grant Robertson had been filling in.
Ardern has indicated her keenness to meet with Albanese.
New Zealand leaders typically try to be among the first heads of government to visit Australia following a change of government.
Albanese's Labour party won last month's Australian election. He has made no secret of his ambitions in the area of foreign policy. He attended a meeting of the quad in Japan within days of being sworn in, and this week flew to Indonesia.
His foreign minister, Penny Wong, has won plaudits for her engagement in the Pacific, touring Samoa and Tonga in her first weeks in the role.
This has drawn unfavourable comparisons with New Zealand's foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta who has spent less time in the Pacific recently, despite the region finding itself in the spotlight following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's tour.
National's foreign affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee criticised Mahuta for taking only one Pacific trip in the last 18 months, while Act's Brooke van Velden asked in the chamber, "why is she still here and not visiting the Pacific?"
Ardern defended Mahuta during her morning media round, telling The AM show that she was unhappy with some of the "commentary" around Mahuta's travel.
"I have been frustrated by some of the commentary. I feel like some of the commentary we have seen does a disservice to the Pacific. These are sovereign nations who have had relationships with China that span many years, as New Zealand does," Ardern said.
"The idea that they are somehow unable to determine their own relationships with China and that somehow [they'd] be dictated or persuaded by visits from New Zealand or Australia sits totally against our view that it is about partnership."
Ardern defended Mahuta's itinerary, noting that in some cases, Australia and China needed to be exempted from Covid-related entry requirements for their foreign ministers to visit.
New Zealand tended to want to respect those rules.
Ardern said that Mahuta is "currently in the process of organising her first visits into countries who have only recently opened their borders".
