Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon have announced a major upgrade in bilateral relations by elevating India and New Zealand’s partnership to a Strategic Partnership during Modi’s historic visit to Auckland.
The visit marks the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years, highlighting New Delhi’s growing focus on strengthening ties across the Indo-Pacific region.
During bilateral talks, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in defence, maritime security, trade, technology, education, and people-to-people exchanges. The two countries also signed a new defence cooperation arrangement aimed at enhancing security collaboration and maritime safety.
The strategic partnership reflects shared democratic values and common interests in maintaining a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific. It also builds on recent efforts to strengthen economic ties following progress on the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to interact with the Indian diaspora in Auckland, where the Indian-origin community continues to play an important role in strengthening bilateral relations. According to New Zealand’s 2023 census, nearly 292,000 people identify as being of Indian origin.
The visit concludes Modi’s three-nation Indo-Pacific tour, underlining India’s strategic push to deepen partnerships with key regional democracies and expand cooperation across security, trade, and connectivity.
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