While filling in for New Zealand's prime minster, Winston Peters accused Australia of breaching United Nations conventions, called for it to change its flag and got into a stoush with John Howard.
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But as he prepares to fly to Canberra, Mr Peters is talking friendship.
The political veteran, who is deputy prime minister and foreign minister, will on Tuesday head to the capital to meet his Australian counterparts in those roles, Michael McCormack and Julie Bishop, for their half-yearly catch-up.
"Sometimes you've got to take the good with the bad. But no two countries have needed each other so much since 1945 as our two countries," Mr Peters told reporters in Wellington on Monday ahead of the trip.
"We need to persuade the Australian political environment how important our relationship is with Australia and how critical our footprint in the Pacific is."
However, asked about the thorny issue of the deportation of Kiwis from New Zealand on character grounds, Mr Peters wasn't backing down.
"There is no reason why a country like New Zealand ... shouldn't make it clear to our Australian cousin what we expect," he said.
"We would never apply that law against an Australian in New Zealand without first having recourse to the court of law of our country."
In a statement later, he said: "In turbulent times such as these, our close friends like Australia are more important than ever".
Mr Peters took the reins from Jacinda Ardern during her maternity leave this year.
During that six weeks, political tensions across the Tasman rose with New Zealand's Justice Minister, Andrew Little, drawing the ire of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton by criticising Australia's deportation of hundreds of Kiwis.
Mr Peters himself criticised the detention of a Kiwi teen at an adult deportation centre in Melbourne, took several swings at the Australia flag - calling it a copy of the New Zealand ensign - and criticised former PM Mr Howard's comments about the outcome of the New Zealand election last year.
He'll be speaking at the National Press Club while in Canberra.
Australian Associated Press