Wellington: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to New Zealand, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has made a strong pitch for expanding bilateral trade, describing the recently signed India-New Zealand free trade agreement as a transformative opportunity for both economies.
“New Zealand businesses are set to boom with our India Trade Deal. 57% of everything we export to India will be tariff free from day one,” the New Zealand PM wrote on X.
Luxon said the agreement would unlock significant economic potential by improving market access, boosting exports and strengthening investment flows between the two countries. He stressed that New Zealand was looking to deepen engagement with India across sectors such as agriculture, technology, education, renewable energy and tourism, while encouraging businesses to seize new opportunities created by the trade pact.
The New Zealand Prime Minister’s remarks come just before Modi’s arrival in Wellington, the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in nearly four decades. The visit is expected to mark a new phase in bilateral relations, with both sides focusing on trade, strategic cooperation and stronger people-to-people ties.
The trade agreement, concluded earlier this year, aims to eliminate tariffs on all Indian goods entering New Zealand and on most New Zealand exports to India. Wellington believes the pact will strengthen economic integration and create fresh opportunities for businesses, farmers and investors in both countries.
During his visit, Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with Luxon covering trade implementation, Indo-Pacific cooperation, education partnerships, technology, clean energy and regional security. The leaders are also likely to discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two democracies amid growing geopolitical shifts in the Indo-Pacific.
Modi’s New Zealand leg concludes his three-nation tour, which also included Indonesia and Australia, underscoring India’s increasing strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region and its efforts to deepen ties with key partners across the Pacific.
