Modi preparing for maiden visit to New Zealand, alongside trip to Australia in July
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Narendra Modi at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in New Delhi on March 17, 2025, during his visit to India. (Supplied photo)
New Zealand has confirmed a "substantial list of deliverables" for Modi's visit, the Indian government says.
New Zealand is getting ready to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his first visit to the country, the Indian government has confirmed.
The announcement came after trade minister Todd McClay met Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal at a World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Cameroon on March 29, 2026.
The two ministers "briefly reviewed preparations for the upcoming New Zealand visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi", India's commerce and industry ministry said in a press statement Sunday evening.
"Expressing high enthusiasm for this visit, New Zealand confirmed that a substantial list of deliverables are currently being finalised by both sides for this visit," the press statement read.
"To further strengthen economic ties, New Zealand will be hosting a high-level business delegation during Prime Minister Modi’s visit."
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During his meeting with minister Goyal on Sunday, Todd McClay reviewed the progress toward the signing of the free trade agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand.
The deal was negotiated in December last year but it can become operational only after it is ratified by parliaments of both the countries, an outcome that's still not certain in New Zealand's case.
Government officials working on the visit say Modi's trip to New Zealand and Australia is being planned for July, though dates haven't been finalised yet.
The trip will mark Modi's third visit to Australia, and it's widely anticipated he will largely be in Sydney, with Melbourne yet again missing out.
In New Zealand, work is in advance stages for the Indian leader to make a two-day visit, with a grand event being planned in Auckland's Eden Park, say government officials.
Meanwhile, New Zealand businesses are lining up to enter India but many are not yet confident they know how to operate there, a new survey has found. That tension sits at the centre of the opportunity being projected from the trade deal.
The Auckland Business Chamber released 'The NZ–India Business Momentum 2026' report on Tuesday. The message being clear. Turning the FTAs potential into actual gains hinges on whether (and how quickly) the government can show businesses the ropes of getting things done in India.
“Businesses want the FTA to be a practical tool, not an abstract agreement,” the report reads. "India is easier to navigate when industry, the Chamber, MFAT, NZTE and in-market agencies work together."
It's still unclear if Modi's visit will also mark the official signing of the New Zealand-India FTA. Luxon needs to be able to rally the support needed to get the FTA across the line in Parliament, given the Labour Party is still seeking clarifications on certain clauses.
Chief among them is a requirement for New Zealand to facilitate investment of US$20 billion in India over 15 years, something Hipkins says no previous FTA has demanded. Labour is worried New Zealand could lose access for apples, honey, and kiwifruit if the threshold is missed, and wants to know whether officials warned ministers about the risk.
Hipkins argues the rush to conclude negotiations before year-end "botched" the process, and it may have delivered an agreement that foreign minister Winston Peters himself will not support.
Beyond the investment clause, Labour says migration and education provisions need tighter guardrails. Hipkins stresses his party "values the people who come here to work and study" but insists any uptick in migrants must be matched by stronger anti-exploitation protections in sectors already under pressure.
He’s also wary about international students coming in through the agreement unless the government can guarantee they will enroll in legitimate, high-quality courses so New Zealand’s education brand isn’t diluted.
