New Zealand is sending in the big guns. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is heading to India this weekend with some of the country’s most influential CEOs and industry leaders.
This isn’t just a trade trip—it’s a full-scale commercial offensive, with 40 power players from aviation, banking, agribusiness, education and tech among others.
Luxon will be in India from March 16-20 – three nights in national capital Delhi and one in India’s financial capital Mumbai – in a trip the government is describing as “the most high-profile and consequential trip to India”.
The prime minister says the roughly $2 billion of two-way trade with India pales in front of the $40b worth of trade with China, despite the two countries having similar populations. In 2023, only about 1.5 per cent of Kiwi exports went to India, the world’s biggest consumer market.
Luxon’s 40-strong business delegation includes as many as 29 CXO and Chair-level members. Five people from the aviation and transport sector will be onboard, underscoring the priority the government places on launching the first direct flight between the two countries.
Air New Zealand alone is sending three of its big guns–Chair Dame Therese Walsh, outgoing Chief Executive Greg Foran and Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar. Chief executives of the Auckland and Christchurch airports are also travelling.
The dairy and agribusiness delegation includes top executives from Fonterra, Meat Industry Association, Scales Corporation, Woolworks, Zespri and Pan Pac Forest Products.
India is the biggest student market for New Zealand’s education institutions and that is reflected in the delegation. Vice-Chancellors of University of Auckland and University of Waikato, Chief Executive of Te Pukenga and Chair of Whitecliffe Education will be travelling.
The technology and telecommunications sector will be represented by Spark New Zealand, Serko, Valocity Global and Rakon Limited.
Cricket also takes centrestage, demonstrating the cultural importance of sports as a unifier in bilateral relations. Former Blackcaps Ross Taylor and Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket, Scott Weenink, will be on the plane.
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.
ISSUE
