Luxon's Asia trip, October 2025

The story so far

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon travelled to Asia in late October 2025 for a week of diplomacy at the East Asia Summit and APEC, aiming to advocate for rules-based global trade.^{26 Oct 2025} In Kuala Lumpur, Luxon and Malaysian deputy prime minister Ahmed Zahid Hamidi announced a deal to streamline halal certification, which aims to grow New Zealand exports by letting Malaysia certify New Zealand meat producers.^{28 Oct 2025} At APEC in South Korea, Luxon held a one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines, but he declined to give details of the discussion.^{28, 29 Oct 2025} Luxon said New Zealand would discourage the United States from resuming nuclear weapons testing, and on his return he called for the country to prioritise its national interests amid geopolitical shifts.^{1 Nov 2025} During the trip, Foreign Minister Winston Peters' official X account briefly reshared a Luxon post with the word "We..." before deleting it, and a spokesperson said they were unaware of the circumstances.^{29 Oct 2025}

Latest

Luxon has returned to Wellington after a week-long tour of Malaysia and South Korea.^{3 Nov 2025}

What's next

Luxon is scheduled to speak to reporters at the Beehive this afternoon, following a Cabinet meeting.^{3 Nov 2025}

Key moments

1. 28 Oct 2025Luxon and Malaysian deputy PM announce halal certification deal to boost exports.
2. 29 Oct 2025Peters' official account reshares Luxon post with "We...", then deletes it.
3. 29 Oct 2025Luxon holds one-on-one meeting with Trump at APEC in Gyeongju.
4. 1 Nov 2025Luxon says New Zealand would discourage US from resuming nuclear testing.
5. 3 Nov 2025Luxon returns to Wellington after week-long Malaysia and South Korea tour.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.