AUCKLAND — In a landmark address at the India-New Zealand Business Event, the Prime Minister of India joined New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to announce the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership.
Marking a historic diplomatic and economic breakthrough, the PM highlighted the conclusion of a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiated in a record time of nine months, alongside a massive $20 billion investment commitment from New Zealand over the next 15 years.
Strategic Bilateral Commitments & Trade Targets
The address outlined an aggressive growth roadmap aimed at leveraging India’s economic momentum and New Zealand’s industrial expertise:
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Trade Expansion: The newly inked FTA is structured to substantially upgrade market access, digital services, technology exchange, and talent mobility, with a target to double bilateral trade by 2030.
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Investment Blueprint: New Zealand’s $20 billion capital commitment will position Kiwi enterprises as core participants in India’s ongoing infrastructure and manufacturing expansions.
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The 5-Project Roadmap: The PM proposed creating a time-bound review mechanism focused on identifying at least five flagship joint projects to turn diplomatic intent into immediate commercial reality.
Sectoral Synergies & Co-Investment Opportunities
The Prime Minister invited Kiwi business leaders, including a special acknowledgment of Māori business organizations, to collaborate across high-growth economic corridors:
Agro-Tech & Cold Chain Logistics
Combining New Zealand’s specialized knowledge in horticulture, dairy science, and forestry with India’s mega food parks and agri-tech talent. Key initiatives include developing advanced perishable cargo solutions for high-value imports like kiwi, apples, honey, and seafood.
Aviation & Tourism Multipliers
As the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, India seeks partnerships to build dedicated air cargo corridors, enhance direct flight connectivity, and design joint tourism packages.
Deep Tech, Space, and FinTech
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Digital Finance: Leveraging India’s dominance in global real-time digital payments (accounting for 50% of global volumes) to co-develop green bonds and blended finance systems.
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Aerospace: Partnering with India’s rapidly growing space ecosystem—which now boasts over 400 space startups and its first sector unicorn—to develop small satellites, remote sensing, and ocean monitoring tools.
Sustainable Urban Infrastructure
Collaborating under India’s Smart Cities Mission (encompassing over 8,000 active projects across 100 cities) to deploy advanced systems for urban mobility, water management, and waste-to-energy processing.
Next-Gen Leadership: Centenary Sports & Youth Business Exchange
As both nations approach the historic centenary of their sporting relations, the Prime Minister proposed a forward-looking human capital initiative to sustain this diplomatic momentum:
The Youth Delegation Proposal: To anchor long-term economic ties, the PM requested the creation of a specialized bilateral exchange program. The initiative envisions sending a high-level delegation of young entrepreneurs under the age of 35 from New Zealand to India, with a reciprocal Indian youth business delegation traveling to New Zealand to cultivate the next generation of corporate leaders.
