Indian envoy to New Zealand Muanpuii Saiawi says PM Modi's visit to firm up ties; focus on trade, defence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to New Zealand later this week, marking the first such high-level visit of an Indian PM to the country in 40 years, as both nations seek to deepen ties through trade, defence and people-to-people links. Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Muanpuii Saiawi speaking to WION'S Sidhant Sibal said that the trip builds on momentum from New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's visit to India in March 2025. "This visit happens after 4 decades and therefore, visiting New Zealand in itself is a very important objective," she said.

A key focus will be implementing the bilateral Free Trade Agreement signed in April. Saiawi highlighted a large Indian business delegation accompanying Modi to "unlock the full potential of the FTA for the mutual benefit of both our countries."

Also read: India-EU FTA will double trade in 5 years, EU Ambassador Hervé Delphin tells WION

The Indian diaspora, numbering more than 300,000 "Kiwi Indians," is expected to play a prominent role. An event titled "Kia Ora Modi", meaning "Namaste Modi" in Māori, will bring together over 10,000 community members. High commissioner Saiawi described the diaspora as "a living bridge" that nurtures the relationship.

The visit forms part of PM Modi's broader Indo-Pacific tour, taking in Indonesia and Australia. The Indian High Commissioner said it aligns with India's "MAHASAGAR" vision for security and growth, and support for a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and rules-based order.

Also read: In response to WION, Rubio dismisses racist remarks on Indians as 'stupid' comments - VIDEO

Full interview of the Indian High commissioner to New Zealand Muanpuii Saiawi:

What are the key objectives of PM Modi's historic visit to New Zealand in July 2026?
This visit would build upon the momentum created when the Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon, visited India in March last year. It's important to meet our partner's face-to-face to further engage on the entire gamut of our bilateral relationship. This visit happens after 4 decades, and therefore, visiting New Zealand in itself is a very important objective. Now, a bilateral FTA was signed in April, which both you and I had witnessed and providing impetus to trade and commerce, is a very important objective. A big business delegation will also be visiting New Zealand for business level talks, and we are working towards unlocking the full potential of the FTA for the mutual benefit of both our countries. Defence and security cooperation is also important, and we'll build on the MOU that was signed last year. People are at the heart of our relationship, culture, education, and tourism, and it's 100 years of unity through sports between India and New Zealand.

Also read: Canada envoy Cooter says ties with India at ‘best moment ever’; energy, defence cooperation to accelerate

The Prime Minister of course addresses the diaspora as well. New Zealand has a big number of Indian diaspora. How do you see Diaspora playing an important role in the relationship?

There are more than 300000; we call them Kiwi Indians here in New Zealand, and they are so excited to receive our honourable prime minister. There is an event called Kia Ora Modi that's like Namaste Modi, but in Maori language, and it would bring together over 10000 Kiwi Indians. Prime Minister Modi has always prioritised the Indian diaspora engagement in all of his foreign travels, & we are very proud of the Kiwi Indians here in New Zealand, and likewise, we are very proud of the strides that India is taking under the leadership of our honourable prime minister. We call the Indian diaspora here in New Zealand like a living bridge as they are the ones who nurture the relationship.

How much there will be a conversation on areas like defence and technology.
Defence and security is a very strong component of the visit, and as I had mentioned, we had signed an MOU on defence cooperation last year. We had an inaugural defence strategic dialogue; we will be building on that relationship further. In terms of technology, with the free trade agreement, there are components of agri-tech, in improving productivity in agriculture and horticulture. Also in sports, there are high-performance sports. We are working very closely with New Zealand on improving the performance of our sportspersons and athletes.

How does PM Modi's New Zealand visit fit into his broader Indo-Pacific tour?

So in this current tour, the prime minister is visiting Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. If you look at all these 3 nations, including India, they are all maritime nations. This visit is in keeping with the prime minister's vision of MAHASAGAR, which is mutual and holistic advancement for security and growth across regions, and we advocate a free and open Indo-Pacific. We advocate for resilient supply chains and a rule-based international order. As far as New Zealand is concerned, I would like to emphasise that India, New Zealand have closely worked together in the combined task force 150. Last year under New Zealand's command, India's naval ship INS Tarkash partnered with a multinational, task force, and had seized 2.5 tons of narcotics in the joint operation called operation Anzac tiger in the Western part of the Indian Ocean. These are just anecdotes and things that we do together. So certainly we could build on this.

What outcomes can be expected from the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and New Zealand's leadership?
So from my perspective, the thing is we want, we don't want to diverge at everything at this point of time. But one thing is, we will take stock of our bilateral relations, the entire gamut of our bilateral relations as well as international issues. There will be several MOU exchanged across many sectors, and as I had mentioned before, some of the themes will be relating to the economic part. Some on the defence, security part and some would be relating to culture, education, tourism & sports.