Modi, Luxon elevate India-New Zealand ties, chart 2030 roadmap

According to the joint statement, “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.”

Aim to double bilateral trade by 2030

The statement added that 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.

The two sides signed pacts on maritime cooperation between defence forces and logistics support between their navies, set up a joint working group on counter-terrorism, disaster management, dairy farming, and tourism, adopted a joint action plan on sports, and launched a maritime security dialogue, among other initiatives.

India and New Zealand also agreed to double bilateral trade to NZ$7 billion or Rs 35,000 crore by 2030, in the context of the Free Trade agreement signed in April this year. “This year, we signed a Free Trade Agreement in record time. This achievement will open new doors for the industries, farmers, and youth of both countries,” PM Modi said.

On global issues, Modi said, “India and New Zealand are also reliable partners and close friends on the global stage. We believe that reform is essential in other global institutions, including the UN, to address the challenges of the present time.”

Maritime security dialogue on the cards

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides decided to establish a maritime security dialogue to strengthen cooperation, coordination and information exchange. They also signed a ‘Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Cooperation’ between their defence establishments, creating a framework for enhanced Indo‑Pacific collaboration through dialogue, coordination, information exchange, and joint activities.

“Today we have reached an agreement on a framework for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Through cooperation in bilateral naval exercises, logistics support, and hydrography, our mutual coordination will increase,” PM Modi said.

India and New Zealand also inked a pact on hydrographic cooperation through joint production of navigational charts, hydrographic data sharing, training, and capacity building. They also signed an arrangement related to mutual logistics support between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force. The two sides also set up a joint working group on counter-terrorism to strengthen cooperation, exchange information, and coordinate efforts to fight terrorism.

A pact on disaster management was signed to promote collaboration in disaster risk management, with emphasis on earthquake resilience, tsunami preparedness, coastal hazard mitigation, knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

From a Kiwifruit plan to Antarctic research

The two sides also signed a pact for enhanced cooperation in animal husbandry and dairying through technical collaboration, knowledge exchange, and best practices. They also decided to launch the ‘Kiwifruit Action Plan and Establishment of 2 Centres of Excellence for Kiwifruit in Nagaland and Uttarakhand’.

The India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport will provide a framework for collaboration in sports, including high-performance sport, sports science, sports medicine and athlete development.

New Zealand also joined the Global Biofuels Alliance, which is going to strengthen international cooperation to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable biofuels for a cleaner energy transition.

The two countries also signed a pact on collaboration in Antarctic research, aiming to strengthen their partnership by promoting joint research, academic exchange, capacity building, and other mutually beneficial scientific and educational activities.