Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will be travelling to India this month in what the government is describing as “the most high-profile and consequential trip to India” a New Zealand leader would have ever made.
Luxon will be in India March 16-20, three nights in national capital Delhi and one in India’s financial capital Mumbai.
“India is going to become the world’s third biggest economy soon. It’s about time we tapped into a market of that size,” Luxon says.
Luxon will be the first leader to travel to India since John Key visited Delhi in 2016, and the first Kiwi leader to visit India before travelling to China, the country’s biggest trade partner.
Luxon will mark another first on the trip. He will be the first non-European head of state to be chief guest at India’s flagship conference on geopolitics-Raisina Dialogue-signaling New Zealand’s relevance as a Pacific partner in defence and security.
The trip will mark a tectonic shift in the way New Zealand looks at India - more than just a market for its dairy products.
In 2023, goods made up 70 per cent of New Zealand’s exports. Nearly 60 per cent of that came from agriculture products like dairy and meat.
Without robust exports, the agriculture industry would practically collapse, as 90 per cent of the agricultural produce every year is typically exported, with no domestic market to consume it.
For nearly eight years, the Labour government led by Jacinda Ardern didn’t pursue the South Asian giant. Much of that reluctance is attributed to little-to-no chance of India opening up its domestic market to Kiwi dairy with lower tariffs. Luxon wants to change that.
“In a world where we need growth, you want to grow as much as you can, and grow all our categories and all our sectors,” Luxon says.
“If you talk just horticulture, for example, you look at what the Australians have around apples…Rockit Apples out of Australia versus Rockit Apples out of New Zealand…very, very different tariff rates.
“I get it, there’s no doubt about it, dairy will be an incredibly hard part of the negotiation…it’ll be very tough, very difficult, but that’s not a reason to shy off and say that’s a market we turn off.”
Luxon points out New Zealand is economically a small player in India’s scheme of things, but it has significant value to offer. “It’s about the presentation of that offering,” he says.
“In our case, a lot of that’s got to do with capacity building…huge opportunities for us in agriculture, food safety, bio security…there’s a bunch of stuff in the governance and system space that is of value to these countries.
“[there are] opportunities around space, renewables, and advanced agri tech. There’s huge interest from the Indian side.”
The trip will be every bit what Luxon has being promising even before he became the prime minister-that New Zealand is finally getting serious about its relationship with India.
For years, New Zealand’s diplomatic efforts with India have been half-hearted—sporadic visits, a lack of follow-through, and a misalignment in priorities.
The last time the two were anywhere serious about doing something was in 2016, when-as officials point out-the two sides were speaking a different language. While New Zealand kept pushing for a Free Trade Alliance, India highlighted the need for a broad-based relationship-one that spanned more than just trade .
This visit signals a shift in approach. NZ wants a long-term, broad-based relationship—not just trade deals, but deeper engagement across sectors like agritech, space, film, and education.
It will also demonstrate New Zealand is willing to invest political capital in bilateral relations. Luxon’s scheduled presence as the chief guest at the Raisina Dialogue is being pegged as a big diplomatic moment.
The trip also shows intent—bringing a strong business and community delegation to prove New Zealand isn’t just here for a handshake photo.
In practical terms, trade will be a key focus, but sector-specific agreements will most likely take priority over an all-encompassing Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
NZ will be positioning itself as a relevant Pacific partner in defence and security. There will also be a push for universities to open campuses in India and for deeper collaboration in industries like film production.
The bottom line is-New Zealand doesn’t want to be left behind in India’s economic rise. The challenge will be proving this visit isn’t just another one-off diplomatic tour, but the start of a serious and sustained relationship.
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