Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to travel to Melbourne to meet with Scott Morrison

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Melbourne later this week. Photo / Pool

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Melbourne later this week in the pair's first meeting since Australia's election in May.

Ardern is heading over on Thursday for a two-day trip.

"Our relationship with Australia is our closest and most important. I am always keen to make the most of visits to enhance our relationship, including on behalf of business," she said.

Ardern said she will be taking part in a range of business and political events.

These include meeting with Victoria Governor Linda Dessau and Premier Daniel Andrews, as well as meeting with Morrison.

"This will be my first opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister Morrison in person after his re-election victory."

Morrison and the Liberals defied expectations to win the Australian election in May this year.

They had been behind Labor in every national poll since the second half of 2017.

But Morrison's party won enough votes to form a coalition and remain in Government.

"I will be taking the opportunity to talk about the progress our Coalition Government is making on our plan for a modern New Zealand we can all be proud of – with an economy that is growing and working for everyone while giving us the ability to improve the wellbeing of all New Zealanders and their families," Ardern said.

Last week, National Leader Simon Bridges also met with Morrison where he used the opportunity to pick his brain about National's 2020 election strategy.

Although this is the first time Ardern and Morrison have seen each other since the Aussie election in May, they have met before.

Morrison came over to New Zealand after the March 15 terror attacks to attend the national memorial.

The pair met for the first time in February this year at the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting.

Morrison took over from former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in August last year.

While Ardern is in Australia, Labour Deputy Leader Kelvin Davis will be acting Prime Minister.

Usually, when Ardern is away, such as when she was in France for the Christchurch Call summit in May, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters becomes Acting Prime Minister.

However, he will also be out of the country until July 20 where he is meeting with senior White House officials in Washington DC in the US.