President Droupadi Murmu will be in New Zealand from August 7-9 in what will be only the second time an Indian head of state will be visiting Aotearoa.
Murmu will attend a series of gatherings in Wellington and Auckland during the trip that will provide a fillip to bilateral relations between the two countries.
The late Pranab Mukherjee was the first Indian president to visit Kiwi shores back in 2016, a trip during which he said India and New Zealand “have a broad convergence of interests on regional and global issues”.
“India deeply appreciates New Zealand’s support for India as a member of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council,” he had said during a banquet at Government House in Auckland.
Murmu will arrive in New Zealand from Fiji on August 7. During her visit, she will be hosted by the Governor General and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Wellington, and attend a community reception in Auckland among other events before flying out of New Zealand on August 9.
Bhav Dhillon, Honorary Consul of Indian in Auckland, described the visit as a “significant milestone in the enduring partnership” between the two countries.
"On behalf of the Indian diaspora we are deeply honoured to welcome the President of India to New Zealand. This visit promises new avenues for collaboration and mutual growth in the Indo-Pacific region, enhancing our shared commitment to peace, stability and prosperity."
Murmu’s visit is widely expected to amplify the heightened tempo at which Luxon has been courting India ever since he became the prime minister last year.
A top Wellington-based foreign relations analyst has described the National-led government as having shown “real ambition” to shore up relations with the south Asian giant.
High-level bilateral visits expected later this year will elucidate what a renewed relation might look like with a country that a recent survey found Kiwis perceive as important, says Suzanna Jessep of think-tank Asia New Zealand Foundation.
Murmu’s visit comes in the backdrop of frenetic backchannel bonhomie between Trade Minister Todd McClay and his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal.
McClay hopes to visit New Delhi in August for what will be his fifth meeting with his Indian counterpart in eight months, as he hopes to improve bilateral relations.
McClay met Piyush Goyal in Rome a few days back on the sidelines of the G7 meeting of trade ministers, and followed it up with a surprise visit to Delhi just a few days later while returning back home.
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