PM Modi in New Zealand LIVE: India, New Zealand elevate ties to strategic partnership

India and New Zealand on Saturday (July 11, 2026) elevated their ties to a strategic partnership and set a five-year target to double their annual bilateral trade in goods and services to ₹35,000 crore by 2030 following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon. The meeting yielded 18 concrete outcomes, including 10 agreements. Key among them were a roadmap to expand ties in the next four years, a framework for enhancing Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation, and a reciprocal logistics support pact between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force. Mr. Modi landed in Auckland last night in the third and final leg of his three-nation tour that largely focused on expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific against the backdrop of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region. The visit came following the recent signing of the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).