Defence and Security Cooperation; Trade and Economic Cooperation; Political and Diplomatic Engagement
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, July 11, 2026: At the invitation of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, is on an official visit to Auckland, New Zealand on 10 and 11 July 2026. The visit is the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years, marking a historic milestone and charting a new course in the enduring friendship and partnership between the two nations.
PM holds delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr. Christopher Luxon at Auckland, in New Zealand.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi received a formal ceremonial welcome at Government House, held bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Luxon, addressed business leaders and members of the Indian community in New Zealand, and observed a showcase of New Zealand sporting innovation.
The Prime Ministers recalled Prime Minister Luxon’s visit to India in March 2025, during which India and New Zealand launched Free Trade Agreement negotiations and signed memorandums in the important areas of defence, education, customs, horticulture, forestry, and sport.
Recognising the long-standing friendship between India and New Zealand, shared democratic values, deep people-to-people links, and shared interests in the Indo Pacific, the two Prime Ministers decided to elevate the bilateral relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. They accordingly endorsed the ‘India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030’ as a framework to guide joint action over the next four years.
The Prime Ministers agreed to an ambitious long-term vision for the Strategic Partnership, which aims to take bilateral relations to a new level, strengthen existing cooperation mechanisms and explore new avenues for deepening cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
List of Outcomes: Official Visit of Prime Minister to New Zealand
S. No. | Title | Brief description |
1 | Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of India and the New Zealand Defence Force | Establishes a framework for enhanced maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through dialogue, coordination, information exchange, and joint activities. |
2 | Implementation Arrangement concerning cooperation in matters of Hydrography and Nautical Cartography between India and New Zealand | Strengthens hydrographic cooperation through joint production of navigational charts, hydrographic data sharing, training, and capacity building. |
3 | Arrangement concerning the provision of Mutual Logistics Support between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force | Facilitates reciprocal logistics support between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force during approved activities and operations. |
4 | Arrangement on establishing a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism between India and New Zealand | Establishes a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism to strengthen cooperation, exchange information, and coordinate efforts to combat terrorism. |
5 | Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Disaster Management Authority of India and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of New Zealand | Promotes collaboration in disaster risk management, with emphasis on earthquake resilience, tsunami preparedness, coastal hazard mitigation, knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, and capacity building. |
6 | Memorandum of Cooperation in the fields of Animal Husbandry and Dairying between the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying of India and the Ministry of Primary Industries of New Zealand | Creates a framework for enhanced cooperation in animal husbandry and dairying through technical collaboration, knowledge exchange, and best practices. |
7 | Memorandum of Arrangement in the field of Tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of India and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of New Zealand | Promotes cooperation in tourism to strengthen economic ties, increase tourist flow, and enhance mutual understanding of each country's culture. |
8 | India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport | Provides a framework for collaboration in sports, including high-performance sport, sports science, sports medicine and athlete development |
9 | Memorandum of Arrangement for development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC), Lothal at Gujarat between NMHC and New Zealand Maritime Museum | Provides a framework for cooperation in developing NMHC at Lothal through collaboration and mutually agreed projects. |
10 | Arrangement on Cultural Cooperation between Ministry of Culture of India and Ministry of Culture and Heritage of New Zealand | Promotes cultural cooperation through exchanges in arts, heritage, and cultural initiatives to strengthen mutual understanding and people-to-people ties. |
India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030
The Prime Ministers of India and New Zealand met in Auckland, New Zealand on 11 July 2026 and announced the creation of the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership. The Prime Ministers endorsed this Roadmap to 2030 as a shared framework to guide joint action and further strengthen the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership over the next four years. The Strategic Partnership includes, but is not limited to, the areas and initiatives set out in the following pillars of this roadmap.
Pillar I: Political and Diplomatic Engagement
Endeavour to schedule meetings and reciprocal visits, on a regular basis, between respective Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers, including on the sidelines of regional and multilateral events.
Ensure effective high-level cooperation through regular Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue.
Intensify meetings and interactions between relevant Ministries and Government Departments to deepen cooperation in all sectors of common interest.
Promote regular parliamentary exchanges and official visits between India and New Zealand.
Consolidate the practice of annual meetings at the Secretary level, Ministry of External Affairs of India, and Deputy Secretary (Americas and Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, to provide a mechanism to steer and coordinate the implementation of the Strategic Partnership and the Roadmap to 2030.
Pillar II: Defence and Security Cooperation
Continue to pursue military interaction via exercises, visits of units (maritime, air, land), short-term personnel exchanges, sporting visits, defence staff college exchanges, and high-level defence dialogues.
Continue to enhance dialogue on defence related matters, including at the Ministerial level.
Continue to implement the 2025 India–New Zealand Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and maintain regular, structured defence engagement at Defence Ministry and Service levels.
Implement the recently agreed Maritime Cooperation Arrangement, Implementing Arrangement on Cooperation in Matters of Hydrography and Nautical Cartography, and a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement focused on the maritime domain. 10. Conduct naval activities, including bilateral naval exercises, as part of the Maritime Cooperation Arrangement.
Pursue cooperation on maritime matters under the Maritime Security pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
Establish an annual Maritime Security Dialogue led by Ministry of External Affairs of India and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand.
Operationalise the Memorandum of Arrangement establishing a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter-Terrorism (CT), led by the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand and convene the first meeting of the JWG on CT at a time that is mutually agreed.
Engage on shared cyber security priorities through the India-New Zealand Cyber Dialogue.
Work towards the formalisation of the India-New Zealand Memorandum of Arrangement on Cooperation in Combating Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Precursor Chemicals and Related Matters.
Work towards the formalisation of a Memorandum of Arrangement between National Investigation Agency of India and the New Zealand Police on law enforcement cooperation.
Strengthen collaboration through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure to improve the resilience of infrastructure systems.
Pillar III: Trade and Economic Cooperation
Bilateral Trade
Work towards an aspirational goal of doubling bilateral two-way trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030.
Work together on next steps for the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement to ensure its early entry into force and effective implementation.
Operationalise the 2025 Authorised Economic Operators Mutual Recognition Arrangement (AEO-MRA) under the aegis of the 2024 Customs Cooperation Arrangement (CCA) to simplify customs processes and facilitate trusted trade.
Primary Industries
Implement the 2025 Memorandum of Cooperation on Horticulture to advance joint research, knowledge exchange, post harvest innovation, and market development initiatives.
Implement the 2025 Letter of Intent on Forestry Cooperation through sustained policy dialogue, technical exchanges, and best practice sharing. 23. Implement the Memorandum of Cooperation on Animal Husbandry and Dairying to advance technical and policy collaboration.
Tourism
Operationalise the Memorandum of Arrangement on Tourism to promote two-way visitor flows and industry cooperation in the tourism sector.
Promote tourism growth by encouraging airlines to commence direct (non stop) flights under the updated Air Services Agreement.
Pillar IV: People, Culture, and Sport
Engage diaspora communities as partners in strengthening bilateral people to people links.
Continue to implement the 2025 Memorandum of Cooperation on Sport.
Implement the India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India and Sport New Zealand.
Support an expert-level exchange on traditional medicine.
Continue dialogue between Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India, and Maritime New Zealand on opportunities to strengthen the recognition of seafarer competency certificates to support our respective maritime industries.
Encourage cooperation under the Memorandum of Arrangement between the National Maritime Heritage Complex, Lothal, India and the New Zealand Maritime Museum.
Implement the Arrangement on Cultural Cooperation to foster better understanding of our respective cultures.
Encourage cooperation between local governments.
Pillar V: Education, Research, Science and Technology, and Disaster Management
Implement the 2025 Education Cooperation Arrangement between the two Ministries of Education to facilitate the continued exchange of information on India’s and New Zealand’s respective education systems.
Endeavour to further grow the number of government and institutional partnerships and engagements aligned to the Education Cooperation Arrangement’s objectives.
Deepen cooperation on climate action and low emissions transitions through active engagement with the International Solar Alliance, focused on solar deployment, financing, and capacity building.
Engage with the Global Biofuels Alliance to support sustainable energy transitions.
Encourage government officials, institutions and industry to scope and build bilateral partnerships in research, science, technology and innovation, with a focus on agriculture, climate, digital transformation, and new and emerging technologies.
Implement a Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Disaster Management Authority of India and the National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand covering preparedness, emergency response, and capacity building.
Pillar VI: Regional and Multilateral Cooperation
Exchange views on ASEAN led and other regional fora to uphold a rules based Indo Pacific.
Explore concrete cooperation under the Maritime Security pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and support the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS.
Strengthen cooperation at the United Nations and support UN reform, including India’s candidature for permanent membership of a reformed Security Council.
Exchange mutual support, where possible, for candidatures in multilateral and international organisations.
Note that the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030 gives rise to no financial commitments and does not create any legally binding rights or obligations under domestic or international law.
S. No. | Title | Brief description |
1 | India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership and Roadmap to 2030 | India and New Zealand have elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, strengthening cooperation in trade, defence, maritime security, tourism, culture, sports, agri-tech, people-to-people ties, as well as coordination on Indo-Pacific priorities and multilateral issues. The Roadmap to 2030 provides a strategic roadmap to guide structured implementation of the India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership across relevant ministries and stakeholders for the next four years. |
2 | Doubling Bilateral Trade to NZ$7 billion or ₹35,000 crore by 2030 | Both sides have set a target to double bilateral trade to NZ$7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030 to boost economic ties and expand market access, in the context of the Free Trade Agreement. |
3 | Establishing Maritime Security Dialogue | India and New Zealand have agreed to establish a Maritime Security Dialogue to strengthen cooperation, coordination and information exchange. |
4 | New Zealand nominates Maritime Security as priority pillar under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) | Under the seven pillars of the IPOI, New Zealand has joined the maritime security pillar to undertake specific cooperation activities focused on combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing. |
5 | New Zealand Joining Global Biofuels Alliance | New Zealand’s joining of the Global Biofuels Alliance strengthens international cooperation to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable biofuels for cleaner energy transition. |
6 | Launch of the Kiwifruit Action Plan and Establishment of 2 Centres of Excellence for Kiwifruit in Nagaland and Uttarakhand | Under the Agricultural Productivity Partnership under the Free Trade Agreement, a Kiwifruit Action Plan is being launched along with the establishment of two Centres of Excellence in Nagaland and Uttarakhand, supported by collaboration in education, skills development, and agricultural innovation to boost productivity. |
7 | MoU between the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa and University of Canterbury, NZ | Establishes a framework for collaboration in Antarctic research. It aims to strengthen partnership by promoting joint research, academic exchange, capacity building, and other mutually beneficial scientific and educational activities. |
8 | MoU between National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K) & Massey University, New Zealand | Establishes a framework for cooperation in research, academic exchange, student mobility, and other mutually agreed educational activiti |
