National’s commerce and small business spokesperson says prioritising a stronger bilateral relationship with India is “absolutely essential” for New Zealand.
“One of our biggest priorities if elected will be to start regularly talking to the Indian government,” Andrew Bayly said while speaking to The Indian Weekender on October 2, 2023.
Advance voting for 2023 general election began on Monday, and bilateral relations between Wellington and New Delhi have come to hog the limelight in the poll campaign cutting across party lines.
The National Party’s MP from Port Waikato points out New Zealand should explore relations with India not just at the national level, but also individual partnerships with its many states.
“India is such a diverse country that you must work state by state.”
When asked how he feels about Australia being able to forge a better relationship with India than New Zealand, he says, "I think that's outrageous. India is a massive economy, growing economy.
“There are lots of opportunities for both countries. I think it's absolutely disappointing that people haven't got on the plane, particularly trade ministers, and go over there and do it regularly.
“Like any business, it's about forming strong relationships. And Prime Minister Modi is fantastic in what he's doing in India, and we just should be part of that, and we should be glad to be a part of it.”
The 61-year-old has spent a lot of time in India and sharing his experience, he says, “It's been a while since I've been in India. I'd love to go back around. I spent a lot of time in India when I was quite young.
“I've traversed right across India, starting at Kolkata and went right across, right up into the mountains on the western coast. I haven't been down to the southern part of India, which I'm very keen to do.
“But it’s a rich culture. The architecture of India is just stunning. The innovation that's coming from India is remarkable.”
Shifting the topic to New Zealand and his priorities, Bayly, who is also the spokesperson for building and construction, consumer affairs, manufacturing and revenue, says, "I think the biggest thing is how do we get a robust economy?
“...because once you have a robust economy, things start to go right. I've got short-term and long-term goals. Talking about building construction, I want to free up consenting. I want to get that building industry rocking again...we've got to get skills into it.
“As per the commerce portfolio, I've got some legislation all ready to go, like Phoenix companies, where people just close companies and leave debts behind; I want to stop that type of thing and streamline AML (Anti Money Laundering). I've had a working group studying on that.”
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