New Zealand has long protested Australia's practice of deporting criminals who are Kiwi citizens but have lived lives in Australia.
The New Zealand government claims the deportations - which total 2916 in the past nine years - have contributed to an uptick in gang numbers and crime.
Its protests fell on deaf ears during the Coalition government but have been taken on board by Anthony Albanese's Labor government.
At a joint press conference with then-NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern In July last year, Mr Albanese announced Australia would apply a "common sense" lens to consideration of deportees.
"We retained Section 501, deportation, the capacity to cancel visas and remove people who pose a risk to the community," he said in February.
"What's changed is we will ... bear in mind what a person's ties are to Australia when assessing these cases. That is common sense.
"There's a big distinction between someone who comes to Australia either as a teen or an adult and commits offences and someone who has zero connection back in New Zealand and might have come here as an infant."
New data released in Australia and NZ has shown the scale of that decrease.
The number of subclass 444 visas cancelled in recent years dropped from 466 in 2020-11 to 244 in 2021-22 and 129 in 2022-23, Australian Home Affairs Department figures released to News Corp showed.
The NZ Herald, citing police data, also reported the number of deportations had roughly halved.
In the eight months to July 2022, an average of 39 people a month were deported from Australia to NZ.
In the eight months since, an average of 19 people a month were deported.
"That has made a difference," Mr Hipkins said.
"The sore point for New Zealand was the deportation of people that have no meaningful relationship with New Zealand.
"They don't know anybody here, and we felt that the deportation of them was unfair and unjust.
"So far, indications are that the change in policy approach by Australia has dealt with that issue but it's still early days."
Mr Hipkins will meet with Mr Albanese in Brisbane on the weekend following another major policy shift from the Australian government that will allow Kiwis to become citizens after four years of living in Australia.
About 400,000 Kiwis will be eligible to apply to become dual nationals when the policy takes effect in July.
"It's a blimmin' good day for Kiwis who are living in Australia, who in many cases have been living with that uncertainty for a long period of time," Mr Hipkins said.
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