Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says "we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons", following a meeting with four of the Five Eyes security nations.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford with Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla. Photo: Supplied / Pool
Ms Ardern had a high-level security meeting at the National Cyber Security Centre in London with prime ministers from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
"Today proved to be a useful opportunity for those of us who are here of Five Eyes to gather together and catch up, particularly on issues that you would have seen in the public domain," Ms Ardern said.
"You would have gleaned from the beginning of the meeting where we acknowledged that we do need to make sure that we are focusing on a rules-based order - and we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to go unanswered."
The group discussed cyber security and that New Zealand had been the target of Russian cyber attacks
Ms Ardern, Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Canada's Justin Trudeau are in Britain to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Along with the UK, the four nations, along with the United States, make up the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.
Ahead of the meeting, Ms Ardern said the sit-down was a chance for the leaders to catch up while they were all in the same country.
"The fact that we are all here together is a rare opportunity so we're utilising that opportunity."
She said the meet-up was arranged several days ago and was not in response to the suspected chemical attack and recent airstrikes in Syria.
The leaders would discuss a range of issues, "some of which will be obvious given the international environment," Ms Ardern said.
US and UK intelligence agencies have accused state-sponsored Russian hackers of actively seeking to hijack essential internet hardware.
Ms Ardern yesterday said she would check with the government's spy agency whether New Zealand had been hit by a fresh wave of global cyber-attacks.
The security meeting caps off a busy day for the prime minister, who earlier sat down with Ms May, Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, and Prince Charles and Camilla at their home in Westminster.
She also attended a town-hall meeting with Mr Trudeau and London mayor Sadiq Khan - an event marking women's suffrage. They were quizzed by about 80 London secondary school students.
Ms Ardern congratulated the crowd on celebrating 100 years since the first woman won the vote in the United Kingdom. In response to one question she told the crown to "never give up on believing" they could become prime minister.
She said voting was not the only way to participate, pointing out she received a huge number of letters from primary school children expressing their worries about the world.
"Those letters have an impact on me."
Asked what feminism meant to her, she said it was about "fairness and equality".
"It's about everybody. It's about men. It's about women. It's about everybody... just getting a fair go."
