Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Tuesday that Australia and New Zealand represented natural partners in battling climate change, Radio New Zealand reported.

Rudd made the remarks while addressing the Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday morning.

Rudd flew into Auckland on Monday night for his first visit to New Zealand since taking office, with climate change on top of his agenda.

Rudd told the conference the importance of being able to work closely with New Zealand at international climate change negotiations can not be overestimated.

He praised his New Zealand counterpart Helen Clark's leadership in those negotiations, particularly when Australia had been absent from the table.

"That's been really important in making sure that we are moving in the direction of a global consensus, despite all the obstacles underway," he said.

Both governments worked well together on climate change issues and emissions trading, and were natural partners, he said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark told the conference that New Zealand was required to act domestically with its own environment agenda if it expected other countries, particularly those not in the first world, to also follow suit.

New Zealand was in a very good position to take a leadership role internationally, she said.

Clark said climate change was not only being addressed at the conference, but would be the focus of the Pacific Islands Forum in Niue, which both prime ministers were attending.

The two prime ministers held an official meeting at Government House, and are due to leave for Niue on Tuesday afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)