Modi in Auckland: Sold-out Spark Arena community reception to run over four hours
Narendra Modi will make his maiden visit to New Zealand as prime minister on July 10-11.
The organisers say the event has reached a “full house” following an “overwhelming response”
Details of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Auckland community reception are out, with the Spark Arena programme set to run for four-and-a-half hours on Saturday, July 11.
The Kia Ora Modi will run from 4pm to 8.30pm, with gates opening at 3.30pm, according to the NZ Bhartiya Diaspora Group that is putting the event together.
The organisers say the event has reached a “full house” following an “overwhelming response”, with digital passes to be sent to attendees’ mobile phones through Ticketmaster.
It is not clear, however, how long Modi himself will be present at Spark Arena. Cultural performances and community celebrations are expected to take up most of the four-and-a-half-hour programme, with the Indian prime minister’s appearance forming only part of the event.
Attendees have been asked to carry their passport, either as the original document or a digital copy.
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Children under five will not be permitted inside the venue, while only small bags measuring less than 30cm will be allowed. Flag poles and other items larger than 30cm are also prohibited.
The release of the event details follows weeks of intensive planning for what is expected to be the biggest public-facing engagement of Modi’s tightly-compressed New Zealand visit.
Modi will arrive in Auckland late on Friday, July 10, before undertaking a one-day, Auckland-only programme the following day and departing later on July 11.
His official programme includes a formal welcome, bilateral talks with counterpart prime minister Christopher Luxon, an exchange of agreements and arrangements between the two countries, a gathering with business leaders and an event marking the history of India-New Zealand sporting ties.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is also expected to call on Modi.
The Spark Arena reception has been taking shape for more than two month, with organisers attempting to manage demand from across New Zealand’s Indian diaspora.
Public registrations had opened through the special-purpose Kia Ora Modi website, although applicants were warned that registration did not guarantee a seat.
The venue itself had also been the subject of considerable planning.
A security team from Delhi visiting Auckland inspected Spark Arena. Eden Park had been considered because organisers estimated it could accommodate about 35,000 people, while Spark Arena has a much smaller capacity of about 12,000.
The July 11 reception is expected to be the principal diaspora event of Modi’s visit and will cap a day dominated by official engagements before the Indian prime minister leaves New Zealand later that night.
