New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon will pay an official visit to India from March 16 to March 20 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, officials said on Monday.
“He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials, businesses, media and members of the Indian diaspora community in New Zealand,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
This would be the first visit to India by Prime Minister Rt Hon Luxon in his present capacity.
He will visit New Delhi and Mumbai before returning to Wellington on March 20.
“During his visit, Prime Minister Rt Hon Luxon will hold talks with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 17 March 2025 covering various aspects of India-New Zealand relations. Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary. A call on Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji Smt. Droupadi Murmu is scheduled on the same day,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Rt Hon Luxon will join the inaugural session of the 10th Raisina Dialogue 2025 on 17 March 2025 in New Delhi as the Chief Guest and deliver the Keynote Address.
Meeting With Indian Business Leaders In Mumbai
Prime Minister Rt Hon Luxon is scheduled to visit Mumbai on 19-20 March 2025 where he will have interactions with Indian business leaders and representatives from various walks of life.
“Prime Minister Rt Hon Luxon’s visit underscores the longstanding and enduring ties between India and New Zealand. It reaffirms the continued commitment of both countries to further strengthen the bilateral relationship across all sectors and deepen our close people-to-people ties,” read the MEA statement.
New Zealand PM Posts On India Visit
Luxon said strengthening his country’s bond with India is a key priority of his government.
“Strengthening New Zealand’s relationship with India is a key priority for my Government.,” he wrote on X,
“India is the fifth largest economy in the world and I am focused on increasing trade and business opportunities between our two countries and promoting New Zealand as an investment destination,” he said.
India-New Zealand Bilateral Bond
India and New Zealand (NZ) have historically shared close and cordial ties.
Similarities such as membership of the Commonwealth, common law practices and pursuing shared aspirations of achieving economic development and prosperity through democratic governance systems for diverse communities in both countries (NZ prides itself as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with 213 ethnicities officially recorded) provide an excellent backdrop for deepening the friendly ties.
Tourism and sporting links, particularly in cricket, hockey and mountaineering, have also played a significant role in fostering goodwill between the two countries.
Both countries share a commitment to human rights, global peace, rules based on international order, ecological preservation and combating terrorism.
People-to-people contacts have flourished since migration from India began around the 1860s.
“NZ has approximately 3,00,000 persons of Indian origin & NRIs, a vast majority of which has made NZ their permanent home. Currently, there are approximately 8,000 Indian students in NZ, pursuing higher education in various disciplines such as information technology, hospitality, science, engineering, and architecture,” read the Indian Embassy in New Zealand website.
(With inputs from IBNS)
