Modi, Luxon celebrate ‘Winning Partnership’ as India, New Zealand deepen strategic and sporting ties

Auckland, July 11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on July 11 celebrated the growing momentum in bilateral ties at a special gala luncheon in Auckland, where both leaders underscored the transformative potential of the newly elevated India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership and the recently concluded Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The luncheon, themed ‘India-New Zealand: A Winning Partnership’, brought together leading personalities from politics, business, industry, academia, technology, sports and the arts, reflecting the broadening scope of cooperation between the two countries.

Welcoming the guests, Prime Minister Luxon highlighted the enduring friendship between India and New Zealand and outlined a shared vision for expanding collaboration across a range of sectors while promoting mutual economic growth and prosperity.

Prime Minister Modi said the two countries shared strong complementarities and deep people-to-people ties, which provided a solid foundation for taking bilateral relations to a higher level. He welcomed the decision to elevate the relationship to a Strategic Partnership, expressing confidence that it would inject fresh momentum into cooperation across trade, investment, education, innovation and other key areas.

Highlighting the significance of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement concluded during the visit, Modi described it as a landmark achievement that had been negotiated in record time. He said the agreement would generate new opportunities for businesses, farmers and young people in both countries while supporting the shared objective of doubling bilateral trade by 2030.

Following the luncheon, the two Prime Ministers toured an exhibition showcasing New Zealand’s cutting-edge sports technologies and innovative high-performance sporting equipment. They also interacted with decorated New Zealand athletes and representatives associated with elite sports development.

Recalling a century of sporting engagement between India and New Zealand, Modi said the Sports Joint Action Plan signed during the visit would broaden bilateral sporting cooperation beyond the traditional cricket partnership. He noted that the initiative would promote collaboration in areas such as athlete development, coaching, sports science and high-performance training.

The expanded sports partnership assumes added significance as India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with both countries seeking to leverage their sporting strengths to deepen people-to-people exchanges and institutional collaboration.

The gala event formed part of Prime Minister Modi’s two-day official visit to New Zealand, during which the two countries elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership and concluded a series of agreements covering trade, maritime security, defence, tourism, culture and sports.