More than 10,000 expected to welcome Modi in Auckland

The Indian community is gearing up to celebrate the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an overnight visit next week.

More than 10,000 people are expected to attend a community event to cap off celebrations on 11 July, according to one community leader.

An academic, meanwhile, says the visit is an opportunity to welcome the Indian prime minister while leaving the country's nationalist ideology at the front door.

Announcing the dates on Friday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the trip as "historic" - the first visit to New Zealand by an Indian leader in almost 40 years.

"India is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies, and a country of enormous importance to New Zealand's prosperity," Luxon said.

"We are taking the two countries' relationship to the next level with our New Zealand-India free trade agreement, signed in April, which will deliver more jobs, higher exports and stronger economic growth for New Zealand."

Indian President Droupadi Murmu visited New Zealand in August 2024, which was only the second visit by an Indian head of state after then-President Pranab Mukherjee travelled to New Zealand in 2016.

After New Zealand formally established diplomatic relations with India and opened a High Commission in New Delhi in 1958, relations warmed over the next decade, culminating with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visiting New Zealand in May 1968.

Her son Rajiv Gandhi, who was Indian prime minister from 1984-89, visited New Zealand in October 1986.

With this trip, Modi becomes the third Indian leader and first after Gandhi's visit in the '80s to land in New Zealand.

But it's not his first trip to New Zealand, visiting the South Pacific nation in 2001 when he was the organisational strategist of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While Modi visited Wellington during that trip, this time he is expected to spend all of his time in Auckland, where most of the Indian diaspora lives.

Bhav Dhillon, former honorary consul of India in Auckland, said the Indian community nationwide was excited to welcome Modi.

"This is a historic moment for our diaspora, and we are proud to be organising a grand community reception at Spark Arena [on July 11], where more than 10,000 people are expected to come together," Dhillon said.

"It's a celebration of our shared heritage, the strong people-to-people ties between India and New Zealand, and the growing friendship between our two countries."

Mallika Janakiraman, founder of the Wahine Charitable Trust, highlighted what she called the "real advantage" of the trade deal between the two countries.

"New Zealand may be the seventh country to reach an FTA with India, but it is first with a genuinely distinctive offer - a real meeting point between India's AYUSH (Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Sowa-Rigpa, Siddha and homeopathy) architecture and mātauranga Māori, where traditional knowledge is treated as modern industry," she said.

"I call this the Māori-AYUSH advantage, or MAA. In many ways MAA is the 'mother of deals'. Conceived and concluded in just nine months, it turns two living knowledge systems into a shared industry platform, not just a tariff line.

"It is about co‑shared, co‑created prosperity, with communities on both sides owning the resulting brands, IP and services.

"Used that way, this FTA becomes an intergenerational legacy economy, not a one‑off deal.

"Our real advantage is being the only country that can make this indigenous‑to‑indigenous partnership the signature of the India-New Zealand relationship."

Shabbir Rajkowala, outreach lead at Indian Muslim group Dawoodi Bohra New Zealand, said his community "warmly welcomes" news of Modi's visit to New Zealand.

"The wider Indian diaspora has eagerly anticipated this moment, building on the momentum of Modi's earlier visit to Australia," Rajkowala said.

"With the New Zealand-India FTA now signed, business communities on both sides are optimistic that this visit will further strengthen trade ties and open new avenues for economic partnership between our two nations."

Modi has been credited by some for India's global rise and bringing millions out of poverty.

However, critics and India's opposition blame him for promoting Hindu nationalism, curtailing press freedom and crony capitalism.

Mohan Dutta, dean's chair professor of communication at Massey University and a vocal critic of the ruling BJP government, said Modi's visit was "significant and welcome".

"The relationship between Aotearoa New Zealand and India matters, the free trade agreement reflects that and extending manaakitanga to a visiting head of government is exactly what we should do," Dutta said.

"The question the visit raises is a different one: The distinction between welcoming India's prime minister and platforming Hindutva, the [Hindu nationalist] political ideology of the movement behind him."

The professor said opposing Hindutva and opposing anti-Indian racism [in New Zealand] required the same commitment as "both reject the idea that any community's belonging is up for negotiation".

"The task is to hold two things at once: Extend a full diplomatic welcome to India's prime minister and decline to mainstream the ideology that travels with him," Dutta said.

"New Zealand can do both, but only if it understands the difference."

Luxon, meanwhile said the visit reflected growing momentum in the New Zealand-India relationship.

Discussions between the two leaders are expected to include trade and investment, maritime security, education, technology, tourism, sport and global issues.

"We will also be celebrating the people-to-people connections between our two countries, with Kiwi-Indians comprising around 6 percent of New Zealand's population and making a significant contribution to our country," Luxon said.

"They are highly engaged across the workforce, with strong representation in business, technology, health, science and many other important sectors."