India And New Zealand Announce Strategic Partnership In Auckland

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon announced a new strategic partnership on Saturday.

This event marks the first time an Indian premier has travelled to the island nation in 40 years. The Auckland engagement serves as the concluding phase of a three-nation diplomatic tour for Modi.

"It is a pleasure and honour to host you here today. It's a truly historic event, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years. This visit is also a significant milestone in the New Zealand-India relationship," Luxon said.

Broadening Bilateral Ties

Delegation-level discussions commenced in Auckland as the two leaders held formal talks to establish a Strategic Partnership. This diplomatic framework aims to expand mutual cooperation well beyond their recently finalised free trade agreement, which was signed in April this year.

"I think we've made tremendous progress in a very short period of time on the trade agenda. But today's focus is about more than just the FTA," Luxon said.

"It's about where we go to next in this relationship and how we broaden that out. I know we are very proud to announce that we will be forming a strategic partnership, which will give the relationship more framework and breadth for us to continue to expand as we go forward from here," he added.

The underlying free trade agreement will eliminate import tariffs on 57% of all goods that New Zealand exports to India from the first day of implementation.

"New Zealand and India bookend the Indo-Pacific, but distance is no barrier to us working together to grow our economies. That's what we're doing through our free trade agreement, which will eliminate tariffs on 57% of everything we sell to India on day one," the New Zealand premier wrote in a post on X.

Diplomatic And Cultural Engagements

Ceremonial traditions greeted the visiting leader earlier on Saturday with Modi receiving a traditional Māori powhiri welcome upon arriving at the Government House in Auckland.

In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm ceremonial welcome at the Government House in Auckland. He was honoured with a traditional Māori powhiri, reflecting New Zealand's rich indigenous heritage and cultural values."

The Indian leader landed in Auckland on Friday and exchanged a warm embrace with Luxon. The two leaders previously held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi in March last year, when Luxon was in India on an official visit. The New Zealand premier recalled his own official trip to India last year, expressing gratitude for the personal effort invested in strengthening bilateral relations.

"When I visited India last year, you welcomed me and my delegation with great warmth and tremendous generosity, and I'm therefore delighted to welcome you here. Thank you for the relationship and thank you for what you've put into it personally," Luxon said.

Later today, Modi is scheduled to meet leading sports and business figures across the city. He will also deliver an address to a large gathering of the Indian diaspora to celebrate the robust people-to-people connections between the two nations.

Expanding Cooperation

At the gala lunch hosted in Auckland, PM Modi emphasised the growing partnership between the two nations in diverse fields such as fintech, agriculture, medicine and defence, ANI reported.

"To make our strategic partnership meaningful, we are transforming the strengths of both countries into practical cooperation. In the area of fintech, we are going ahead in connecting India's UPI and New Zealand's payment system. In agriculture, dairy and food processing, we have prepared a strong blueprint for cooperation. This will benefit our farmers and livestock owners," Modi said.

The Indian Prime Minister also heaped praise on the FTA signed between the two nations hoping that the agreement would help double the trade between them.

"We are confident that in next 5 years, FTA will be a strong foundation to double our trade. We also welcome New Zealand's 20 billion dollar investment commitment in India," he said.