Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with his New Zealand counterpart a few days back has added “a lot of momentum” to the partnership between the two countries, India’s top diplomat in Wellington has said.
“As you know, our two prime ministers met recently in Port Moresby. So, it has added more momentum to our partnership. There is a lot of expectation from both sides that we will see much more visits and exchanges in the coming months,” High Commissioner of India to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan told The Indian Weekender.
Modi met Chris Hipkins in Papua New Guinea on May 22, 2023, on the sidelines of two Pacific region summits. Just days after the meeting, stakeholders across industries and sectors will be converging in Wellington to brainstorm ideas on how to take the partnership forward.
The half-day event, on May 31, 2023, titled ‘Forging a new age in India-New Zealand Relations’, is being organised by the Indian high commission. Registration for the event closes 5pm on Tuesday, May 30. Click here to sign up.
Bhushan said, “We have put together a number of people who have been invested in the India, New Zealand partnership. And they will discuss with each other, you know, what best we can do to promote our cooperation.”
New Zealand’s Trade, Agriculture and Exports Minister Damien O'Connor will be the keynote speaker. Corporate heads, entrepreneurs, and representatives from think-tanks from a range of sectors like trade, tourism and tech are expected to be in attendance, besides government leaders and officials.
Bhushan said the event’s highlight will be its wide mix of participants. “We keep doing these events. But the main impetus now for this major event is that we are getting all important stakeholders together for a symposium, so that we can brainstorm regarding how…what else needs to be done, how we can bring our countries closer. What are the various opportunities that exist for both the countries? And if there are any challenges, how we can work towards resolving those challenges as well.”
The symposium is another in a series of events the Indian high commission has organised over the last year to boost two-way interaction and trade. Bhushan said the two countries have several areas of common interest.
“There are some sectors which are already doing very well, and I think they can take off to the next level. For example, education is one of those sectors [and] connectivity…Then investment, business is definitely something we can work on to enhance our partnership. If I take only December-January [2023] to now, end of May, we have had like 15 to 20 delegations visiting each other,” she said.
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