‘Great year for the India-New Zealand partnership’: PM Modi’s New Zealand visit bears 18 outcomes

AUCKLAND: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand resulted in 18 outcomes in myriad sectors ranging from maritime to terrorism.

PM Modi said that this has been a great year for the India-New Zealand partnership. In a post on X, he said, “This has been a great year for the India-New Zealand partnership. Earlier this year, our nations concluded a Free Trade Agreement in record time and now, we have elevated our ties to a Strategic Partnership. Next up, we wish to double bilateral trade by 2030!”

This has been a great year for the India-New Zealand partnership. Earlier this year, our nations concluded a Free Trade Agreement in record time and now, we have elevated our ties to a Strategic Partnership. Next up, we wish to double bilateral trade by 2030! https://t.co/IyR5qpUt2X

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 11, 2026

The Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of India and the New Zealand Defence Force establishes a framework for enhanced maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through dialogue, coordination, information exchange, and joint activities.

Implementation Arrangement concerning cooperation in matters of Hydrography and Nautical Cartography between India and New Zealand strengthens hydrographic cooperation through joint production of navigational charts, hydrographic data sharing, training, and capacity building.

Arrangement concerning the provision of Mutual Logistics Support between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force facilitates reciprocal logistics support between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force during approved activities and operations.

#WATCH | New Zealand: At the community event in Auckland, PM Narendra Modi says, “This might be my first visit as the Prime Minister but 25-30 years ago, when I was not a part of any Government and nobody knew me in publuc life, I received an opportunity to come to New Zealand.… pic.twitter.com/c2w62NiUZB

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2026

Arrangement on establishing a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism between India and New Zealand establishes a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism to strengthen cooperation, exchange information, and coordinate efforts to combat terrorism.

Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Disaster Management Authority of India and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of New Zealand promotes collaboration in disaster risk management, with emphasis on earthquake resilience, tsunami preparedness, coastal hazard mitigation, knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

Memorandum of Cooperation in the fields of Animal Husbandry and Dairying between the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying of India and the Ministry of Primary Industries of New Zealand creates a framework for enhanced cooperation in animal husbandry and dairying through technical collaboration, knowledge exchange, and best practices.

Memorandum of Arrangement in the field of Tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of India and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of New Zealand promotes cooperation in tourism to strengthen economic ties, increase tourist flow, and enhance mutual understanding of each country’s culture.

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

Memorandum of Arrangement for development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC), Lothal at Gujarat between NMHC and New Zealand Maritime Museum provides a framework for cooperation in developing NMHC at Lothal through collaboration and mutually agreed projects.

Arrangement on Cultural Cooperation between Ministry of Culture of India and Ministry of Culture and Heritage of New Zealand promotes cultural cooperation through exchanges in arts, heritage, and cultural initiatives to strengthen mutual understanding and people-to-people ties.

Under India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership and Roadmap to 2030, both nations elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, strengthening cooperation in trade, defence, maritime security, tourism, culture, sports, agri-tech, people-to-people ties, as well as coordination on Indo-Pacific priorities and multilateral issues. The Roadmap to 2030 provides a strategic roadmap to guide structured implementation of the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership across relevant ministries and stakeholders for the next four years.

Both sides have set a target to double bilateral trade to NZD 7 billion (Rs 35,000 crore) by 2030 to boost economic ties and expand market access, in the context of the Free Trade Agreement.

India and New Zealand have agreed to establish a Maritime Security Dialogue to strengthen cooperation, coordination and information exchange. Under the seven pillars of the IPOI, New Zealand has joined the maritime security pillar to undertake specific cooperation activities focused on combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.

New Zealand’s joining of the Global Biofuels Alliance strengthens international cooperation to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable biofuels for cleaner energy transition.

Under the Agricultural Productivity Partnership under the Free Trade Agreement, a Kiwifruit Action Plan is being launched along with the establishment of two Centres of Excellence in Nagaland and Uttarakhand, supported by collaboration in education, skills development, and agricultural innovation to boost productivity.

The MoU between the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa and University of Canterbury, NZ establishes a framework for collaboration in Antarctic research. It aims to strengthen partnership by promoting joint research, academic exchange, capacity building, and other mutually beneficial scientific and educational activities.

The MoU between National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K) & Massey University, New Zealand establishes a framework for cooperation in research, academic exchange, student mobility, and other mutually agreed educational activities. (ANI)