PM Modi to visit New Zealand for first time next week, meet Christopher Luxon for first time after India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement | Today’s news
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on his first official visit to New Zealand next week, his counterpart Christopher Luxon said in a post on X. Luxon said he was delighted to welcome Modi and described India as one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies.
“I am delighted to announce that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first official visit to New Zealand next week,” Luxon said in a post on Friday, July 3.
“We are taking the two countries’ relationship to the next level with our New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in April, which will bring more jobs, higher exports and stronger economic growth to New Zealand,” he said.
PM Modi returned to India on June 29 after his three-day visit to Seychelles during which he held extensive talks with President Patrick Herminio. The Center has not yet announced the details of Prime Minister Modi’s trip to New Zealand. This would likely be after the Prime Minister’s visit to Rajasthan and Gujarat on July 4, 2026.
Modi is expected to arrive in Auckland on July 10 and depart a day later, according to Reuters.
India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement
India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement in April this year to boost trade in goods and services and encourage investment between the two countries.
The deal will eliminate 95 percent of tariffs on New Zealand goods. It brings an investment commitment of $20 billion from Wellington, signaling confidence in India’s growth story. It provides duty-free access for all Indian exports to New Zealand. It also strengthens India’s access to the high-income Pacific market while facilitating New Zealand’s entry into one of the world’s fastest growing major economies.
Luxon said the free trade agreement would unlock new opportunities to grow our exports of goods and services to a market of 1.4 billion people – bringing more money into Kiwi communities, creating jobs and raising wages.
Bilateral trade in goods between India and New Zealand is estimated to be US$1.3 billion in 2024–25, while total trade in goods and services will reach approximately US$2.4 billion in 2024. Services trade alone was worth $1.24 billion, driven by travel, IT and business services.
A significant moment in India-New Zealand ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon welcomed the free trade agreement between the two countries.
“Today is a milestone in the India-New Zealand partnership,” PM Modi said on April 27.
India is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world.
At the time, Luxon called India “one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world” and added that its trade relations had only begun to scratch the surface of its potential.
