India and New Zealand elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership on Friday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded the first visit by an Indian leader to New Zealand in four decades. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the new framework will give the bilateral relationship greater breadth and structure.
The two nations signed a defence cooperation agreement and pledged to deepen maritime security ties, against a backdrop of recent Chinese missile tests in the Pacific. The strategic upgrade follows a free trade agreement signed in April that eliminates tariffs on all Indian exports to New Zealand and removes duties on 57% of New Zealand's exports to India from day one. Bilateral trade has grown from about $900 million in 2019-20 to $1.3 billion in 2024-25.
Modi's stop in Auckland was the final leg of a three-nation tour that included Indonesia and Australia. Air New Zealand plans to open three offices in India, while Air India and Air New Zealand have sought regulatory approval for flight cooperation. New Zealand is home to roughly 292,000 people of Indian origin among its 5.3 million population.