According to New Zealand Dy PM, “India’s importance to New Zealand’s society, economy, and security is growing.”

NEW DELHI: While on a three-day official visit to India, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, Winston Peters, has praised the strong relations between the two countries and said that India’s significance to New Zealand’s society, economy, and security is expanding.
He emphasized that closer cooperation between India and New Zealand is something that both nations need to be pursuing.

India is becoming more and more significant to the security, economics, and society of New Zealand.
According to a formal statement from the New Zealand High Commission, Peters said, “The Indian diaspora in New Zealand is estimated to be 300,000 strong. India is also our top source of skilled migrants and our second-largest source of international students.”
After a fruitful trip to India, Peters called it a critical step in taking the two nations’ relationship to the next level.
“We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” Mr. Peters said after spending March 10–13 in Gujarat and New Delhi.”
“New Zealand and India are two countries that can, should, and will be doing more together,” Peters said. He continued, “My visit has demonstrated a joint commitment to investing more in building a broad-based, mutually beneficial relationship.”
Peters spoke with S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs when he was in the nation’s capital.
“It is clear that New Zealand and India share common strategic perspectives about the security challenges our Indo-Pacific region faces as well as a commitment to do more together to meet them,” Peters said.
“In order to create additional chances and advance the relationship between India and New Zealand, Minister Jaishankar and I decided to collaborate. Additional high-level political trips in both directions in 2024 will be an essential component of this process, he said in the statement.
Peters also had meetings with Ajit Doval, the national security advisor, and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in the meantime.
“We are grateful for the wide-ranging discussions we had with the Government of India, encompassing our strategic security and defense relationship, our social and cultural links, trade and economic cooperation, and respective efforts to combat climate change,” he stated in a release from the High Commission.
As fellow democracies, New Zealand and India collaborate with like-minded nations like Australia and Japan to envision an Indo-Pacific region that upholds the rule of law, permits unhindered travel, and settles conflicts amicably. These common values are the cornerstone of New Zealand’s efforts to strengthen its bilateral ties with India and to foster greater collaboration across the Indo-Pacific area, especially with Pacific Island nations,” the minister said.
Remarkably, Peters’ itinerary in New Delhi also included trips to the country’s recently constructed Parliament building and an Indian Premier League (IPL) game for women.
“The connections between New Zealand and India are everywhere to see,” Peters said.
“Visiting the biggest democracy in the world’s new home was an honor. The carpets in India’s new Parliament were made with around 20,000 kg of wool from New Zealand,” he said.
“Observing firsthand the fervor and financial commitment to women’s cricket in India was also enjoyable, as was seeing two of New Zealand’s finest players compete against the greatest in the world in the women’s IPL. India and New Zealand have a strong bond with cricket, and the women’s game plays a significant role in that,” he said.
Along with officials and business leaders from the Pacific Island States, the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand also participated in a panel discussion and reception to discuss how the two countries might cooperate on promoting economic connection with the Pacific.
“New Zealand and India both have deep historical, cultural, and commercial ties into the Pacific Islands region – and we need to be doing more together there,” he said.
“My stay here has highlighted the fact that India has been a remarkable economic success story, having helped millions of its people escape poverty as a result of its steady and long-lasting rise…New Zealand is committed to contributing more to this success. We should and should be working together more in terms of commerce and economics in a number of areas, including tourism, agrotechnology, and education. The Deputy PM emphasized that it is the responsibility of our governments to provide the groundwork for this increased trade and economic interaction.
In Gujarat and New Delhi, he also met prominent Indian businessmen. Additionally, Peters met with members of the Jama Masjid Mosque in New Delhi and traveled to Gandhinagar, Gujarat, to see the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple.
An improved Air routes Agreement between India and New Zealand was put into effect during the visit, facilitating smoother code sharing on routes between India and New Zealand.
Although our national airlines must make the final business choice, we are optimistic that direct flights between New Zealand and India will be possible over the next several years. The development of direct flights between Auckland and New Delhi would revolutionize the cultural, interpersonal, and economic relations between our nations, according to Peters.
In Gujarat, Peters also had meetings with important state officials, including Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel.
“I had a fantastic chance to interact with a state that has been in the vanguard of India’s economic growth during my visit to Gujarat. Engaging with Indian states that have opportunities for further strategic and economic collaboration is crucial as we seek to strengthen and expand our relationship with India, the Deputy PM said.
At the request of S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is visiting India on an official visit from March 10–13.
Winston Peters is visiting India for the first time since November 2023, when the new New Zealand administration took office. According to MEA, he had previously been to India in February 2020.