New Zealand PM Luxon hails India’s ‘incredible’ growth story and calls for stronger trade ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attend a community event in Auckland, New Zealand. | Photo Credit: YouTube/@NarendraModi via PTI

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday (11 July 2026) hailed India’s “incredible” economic transformation and urged businesses in both countries to deepen engagement to open up new markets and business opportunities.

Mr Luxon said this at an interaction on ‘India-New Zealand: A Winning Partnership’ attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to the country.

Also Read: Highlights of PM Modi’s New Zealand Visits on July 11, 2026

Addressing the gathering, the Kiwi prime minister said he has been a “big fan” of India for a long time.

“The first time I went to India was in my 20s. And that was because I was working for a company called Unilever, which of course owns Hindustan Unilever, which was a top 10 company in India,” he told a gathering of a select group of CEOs and business leaders.

Mr. Luxon said he went to India in the mid-to-late 1990s, when he said people were paid a daily wage in coins.

“It’s interesting to me that under Prime Minister Modi, he has lifted 250 million people out of poverty. Now there are 440 million people in the middle class and by the end of the decade there will be 750 million,” he said, calling it an “incredible transformation.”

“As someone who has been to India many times and seen the transition from low-income to middle-income to high-income, it is so inspiring and exciting to see the transformation that has taken place as India’s 1.4 billion Indian community grows richer,” he said.

Emphasizing that there are many areas for cooperation between India and New Zealand, Mr Luxon identified food and produce, tourism experience, educational institutions and technology as sectors for possible cooperation.

Referring to a book by Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Victor Frankl, which says that government, business leaders and community leaders are the three big actors in society, he urged all three to come together and realize the huge opportunities that India and New Zealand have together.

“So I just encourage you all…the responsibility for this relationship lies with you as well and we wish you all the best as you work together to open up new markets and new opportunities,” Mr Luxon told the business leaders.

He urged New Zealand businesses to travel to India and learn about its consumers, calling them the “most demanding” in the world.

“Learn more about the markets, find the right partners, understand how to adapt your product and service to create opportunities both in India and here in New Zealand,” he said.

PM Modi also spoke at the event and urged New Zealand businessmen to invest in various sectors of the Indian economy.

He emphasized that the shared democratic values, diversity and commitment of both nations to sustainable development provide a solid foundation for an ambitious economic partnership focused on the future.

He also spoke about the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which was signed in April this year, saying it would add depth and momentum to bilateral economic ties and open up new opportunities for market access, investment and talent mobility.

PM Modi also held extensive talks with Mr. Luxon which yielded 18 key deliverables, including the elevation of bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership.

Published – 11 Jul 2026 19:53 IST