Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New Zealand on Friday on the final leg of a three-nation tour that has focused on shoring up economic and security cooperation with key countries in the Indo-Pacific region amid geopolitical churn on the international stage exacerbated by conflicts.
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Modi flew into Auckland, where he was received at the airport by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, after visits to Indonesia and Australia that witnessed the unveiling of a range of measures to deepen cooperation in defence and key sectors such as critical minerals and emerging technologies. India finalised deals to supply the BrahMos cruise missile and Astra air-to-air missile to Indonesia, and concluded a landmark agreement with Australia for long-term uranium supplies.
Modi and Luxon are set to hold talks to review bilateral relations and the regional situation at Government House in Auckland on Saturday. This will be followed by sports and business engagements, and Modi’s participation in an Indian community event.
This is the first visit to New Zealand by an Indian prime minister after a gap of 40 years and comes after the recent signing of a free trade agreement (FTA). People familiar with the matter said there is a strong desire on the New Zealand side to diversify its economic partnerships because of the country’s excessive dependence on the Chinese market.
While India-New Zealand trade is currently worth $2.25 billion, the FTA and an almost tariff-free business environment are expected to spur the growth of two-way commerce. Both countries plan to double their trade in goods and services by 2030. The FTA also has a provision for investments of $20 billion in India over the next 15 years that are expected to drive the economic partnership, the people said.
The Indian side is also looking to benefit from New Zealand’s prowess in research and development, especially in fields such as dairying, farming and high-performance sports. New Zealand is in the process of launching action plans for kiwifruit, apples, pears and honey in India, and setting up centres of excellence for kiwifruit in Nagaland and Uttarakhand.
New Zealand is also home to about 300,000 people of Indian origin who play a key role in politics and business.
