Anthony Albanese faced an awkward diplomatic situation when he attempted to exchange a hongi, the traditional Māori nose-to-nose greeting, with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Queenstown.

Although the Australian leader had just shared a hongi with local iwi members without issue, his attempt to greet Luxon similarly was met with a conventional handshake instead.

The moment resulted in mixed responses online.  

‘Chris Luxon is clutching Albanese like a small child clutches its mother,’ one person joked.

‘Poor Albanese had no choice. Once Luxon zooms in with his arms outstretched, you’re done for,’ another said. 

Some even linked the moment to a recent, highly publicised incident in which Luxon was loudly booed at an ANZ Netball Premiership match.

‘Luxon finds an Aussie tourist who wasn’t at the netball booing him,’ someone said 

The incident, recorded on official footage, included moments where the crowd jeered as the Prime Minister approached the podium for award presentations.

While many social media users mocked the hug, some New Zealanders sided with the Australian leader.

‘This is so embarrassing,’ one wrote.

‘Could someone from the [New Zealand National Party] have a word with Christopher Luxon? Poor Anthony Albanese didn’t deserve this.’

‘Albanese had no choice, he was forced into the Luxon Lovefest,’ someone else said. 

The leaders were in Queenstown for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting, where they reinforced their joint commitment to Palestinian statehood recognition, yet stopped short of providing a definitive timeline.

Both stressed their countries would make decisions ‘independent’ of each other.

‘We make our own assessments in our own economic and security interests,’ Luxon said.

‘Australia has exactly the same position,’ Albanese agreed. ‘As a sovereign nation, we make our decisions.’

Albanese also outlined Australia’s position on the Gaza crisis.

‘Australians want to see a ceasefire,’ he said. 

‘They aim for an end to the killing, the release of hostages, and the establishment of peace in the region. They also desire that the conflict remains distant from Australia,’ they stated.

Albanese brushed off calls to impose sanctions on Israel for blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, calling the demands a ‘slogan’.

Speaking from the historic mining town of Arrowtown on New Zealand’s South Island, the Prime Minister reiterated his administration’s urging for Israel to abandon its intentions to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.

‘We called for an immediate ceasefire,’ he told reporters on Sunday morning following a meeting with Kiwi counterpart Chris Luxon.

‘We called for the release of hostages and we called for the unimpeded entry of aid into Gaza.

‘We have a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there. And the idea that it can just be continued is completely unacceptable.’

But the prime minister refused to answer a question about whether Australia would impose further sanctions on Israel as demanded by the Greens and other pro-Palestinian campaigners.

‘What we need to do here is to have very clear statements and actions by the Australian government that make a difference, rather than respond to a slogan on a protest,’ Mr Albanese said.

Australia previously imposed sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right Israeli ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, who have been accused of inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

It comes as France, the United Kingdom and Canada announced plans to formally recognise a Palestinian state at a United Nations summit next month.

The debate is unfolding as the United States, Israel’s closest ally, pursues trade negotiations that could see tariffs introduced, including a proposed 15 per cent duty on New Zealand goods.