New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrives in New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 16: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand reaches New Delhi on Sunday, for an official visit to India, the official visit will last until March 20, 2025 visiting Delhi and Mumbai. At the airport he was received by Union Minister of State S.P. Singh Baghel with rousing reception. This is his first visit to India as Prime Minister. Luxon is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes ministers, senior officials, business leaders, media personnel, and members of New Zealand’s Indian diaspora.

In a message Luxon said, “I’ve landed in India, a country of huge importance to New Zealand’s prosperity, security and society. India provides huge economic opportunity for Kiwis. That’s why I’m here and that’s why I’ve brought a senior delegation of business and community leaders with me.”

On Monday, March 17 Prime Minister Luxon will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi covering various aspects of India-New Zealand relations. Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary. A call on President Smt. Droupadi Murmu is scheduled on Monday morning. Prime Minister Luxon will join the inaugural session of the 10th Raisina Dialogue 2025 on 17 March 2025 in New Delhi as the Chief Guest and deliver the Keynote Address. Prime Minister Luxon is scheduled to visit Mumbai on 19-20 March 2025 where he will have interactions with Indian business leaders and representatives from various walks of life.

India and New Zealand share warm and friendly ties. Diplomatic relations were established in 1952. Both countries share similarities such as membership of the Commonwealth, common law practices and pursuing shared aspirations of achieving economic development and prosperity through democratic governance systems for diverse communities. Tourism and sporting links, particularly cricket, hockey and mountaineering, have played a significant role in fostering goodwill.

On 11 October 2024, PM Narendra Modi met NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Laos on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit. PM Modi and PM Luxon also had a telephonic conversation in July 2024, during which NZPM congratulated PM Modi on his party’s victory in the general elections and his third term as PM. President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu undertook a State Visit to New Zealand from 7 to 9 August 2024. She had meetings with the Governor General, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and DPM & Foreign Minister Winston Peters and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

In the year 2023-24, NZ exported US$0.84 billion of goods and services to India and imported US$0.91 billion, for a total trade value of US$1.75 billion. India primarily imports wool, Iron and steel, fruit and nuts, and aluminum from NZ. Indian exports to NZ mostly consist of pharmaceuticals/medications, Mechanical Machinery, made-up textile articles, pearls, Precious stones, and metals.

The presence of a large Indian diaspora in NZ and strong people-to-people linkages act as the foundation for close cultural cooperation between the two countries. Nearly all Indian festivals are celebrated with much enthusiasm all over NZ. There are several schools all over NZ that teach Indian traditional art forms such as Kathak and Bharatnatyam as well as contemporary Bollywood dance styles. There are several schools teaching and promoting Hindi and other Indian languages in NZ. Both India and NZ enjoy close sporting links, particularly in cricket, hockey and mountaineering. In the field of mountaineering, Sir Edmund Hillary, who is considered a NZ hero, is also an iconic name in India. He served as NZ High Commissioner to India from 1985 to 1988. There are 292,092 persons of Indian ethnicity in NZ. Around 70,000 persons are estimated to be Indian passport holders. Hindi is the fifth most spoken language in NZ. They are mainly engaged in professional activities including as doctors, professors, engineers, chartered accountants and computer experts. Many are also engaged in grocery and food.