Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta says she is dedicated to bolstering ties with India and other global partners. In 2020, she became the first woman in the country to hold the foreign affairs portfolio.
In an exclusive interview with The Indian Weekender, the 52-year-old emphasised the significance of investing in and sustaining relations with India, a relationship that she says has seen remarkable progress in recent times.
Q1. What are your key priorities at this stage as the Foreign Affairs Minister?
My key priority is pursuing our foreign relations in a way that represents our values and interests. That includes investing in and sustaining relationships with countries such as India.
Q2. What is your take on NZ's relationship with India?
We are investing in our relationship with India. In the last 12 months, there has been a significant lift in our engagement with India through three ministerial visits to India and ongoing efforts to broaden and deepen the relationship. The recent bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Hipkins and Prime Minister Modi in Port Moresby has added further momentum.
Q3 What are the biggest challenges, and how do you plan to deal with them?
These are undoubtedly challenging times for small states like Aotearoa New Zealand. The existing rules are being increasingly challenged, and geostrategic issues and climate crises have intensified. To meet these challenges, Aotearoa New Zealand depends on the multilateral system and operates very effectively within it for our benefit and the benefit of others. We must do what we can to support and maintain the effectiveness of the institutions, norms and rules that are critical to our interests.
Q4 Is there any possibility of an Free Trade Agreement with India in line with the one NZ signed with the EU?
We are working to build a modern trade and economic relationship with India. Recent ministerial visits have enabled us to advance proposals for more frequent economic dialogue at all levels with India.
We are in early conversations with the Indian system on cooperation in the horticulture sector. India has made it clear that it is seeking broad-based relationships with its partners before bilateral Free Trade Agreements are considered. We are prioritising our relationship with India and working to develop a holistic relationship, of which a mutually beneficial economic partnership is a component.
Q5. How can India-NZ relations be enhanced?
Ongoing engagement will be one of the key enablers to enhancing our bilateral relationship. We are also interested in engaging more closely with India in regional and multilateral settings and in areas of common interest, like combating climate change.
In particular, we welcome India's interest in the Pacific region. We are keen to work with India through existing regional and country-led mechanisms, such as the Pacific Islands Forum and other agencies.
Q6. Are you planning to visit India anytime soon?
During my February visit to India, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and I agreed on areas for future collaboration - across education, indigenous engagement, tourism, agriculture, air services, and economic partnership.
We also discussed issues of common interest in the Indo-Pacific. Going forward, the Minister for Trade and Export Growth is also looking for an opportunity to visit India in the coming months to advance our economic partnership.
The Prime Minister has publicly stated that taking up Prime Minister Modi’s invitation to visit India will be a priority after the elections.
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