Now that politicians have been able to leave the country to grow diplomatic connections for quite a while, what have they been doing?

In recent times Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been on trips to Singapore, Japan, the US, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Fiji, and twice to Australia. International jet setting still has its issues, with many of the travelling press gallery catching Covid-19 while covering the Pacific Islands Forum

Questions were posed over what would happen if China invaded Taiwan, and the new Australian government is undergoing a reset over climate change.

New Zealand Herald Senior Political Reporter Thomas Couglan spoke to his former boss, Newsroom's National Affairs Editor Sam Sachdeva