PM Modi’s maiden visit to New Zealand next week; first meet after trade deal

2 min readJul 3, 2026 01:59 PM IST

Narendra Modi will make his first official visit to New Zealand next week, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced. (File Photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on his first official visit to New Zealand next week, his counterpart Christopher Luxon said on Friday. In a post on X, Luxon said he was delighted to welcome Modi and described India as one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. He added that India is of enormous importance to New Zealand’s economic prosperity.

I’m delighted to announce Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi will make his first official visit to New Zealand next week.

India is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, and a country of enormous importance to New Zealand’s economic prosperity.

We are…

— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) July 3, 2026

Calling India one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon said India is vital to New Zealand’s economic prosperity.

Luxon further said that the two countries are taking their ties to the next level with the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in April, which would boost exports, create jobs and strengthen economic growth. Luxon added that the deal would open a market of 1.4 billion people for New Zealand’s goods and services, bringing more income to Kiwi communities and helping raise wages.

India and New Zealand signed FTA in April

India and New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement earlier in April, this year to boost trade in goods and services and encourage investment between the two countries.

The agreement provides duty-free access for all Indian exports to New Zealand. It also strengthens India’s access to a high-income Pacific market while giving New Zealand easier entry into one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.

Bilateral merchandise trade between the two countries stood at USD 1.3 billion in 2024-25, while total trade in goods and services reached about USD 2.4 billion in 2024. Services trade alone was worth USD 1.24 billion, driven by travel, IT and business services.

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