Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s scheduled visit to New Zealand this weekend is nothing short of historic. It would be for the first time that an Indian president is on a state visit to New Zealand and thus, the number of possibilities that this could unfold are unimaginable. The President is accompanied by Minister of state for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan and senior Congress Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa.
If one was to summarise the Indo-Kiwi relationship, it is probably nothing more than a small hole in a big wall through which all the diplomatic and economic issues need to squeeze themselves through. This state visit though has a potential to bulldoze that wall between the two countries and pave a way for important agreements and pacts to be signed. “This visit of the Indian president accompanied by the Agriculture Minister puts to rest all speculation that the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries is not top priority,” says Robert Barker the Chairman of the India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC), an organisation that has been successfully lobbying both nations for improved trade relations for the more than 27 years.
President Mukherjee and his delegation arrive on April 30 for a series of events in Auckland, including an official welcome at Government House Auckland, a State dinner hosted by the Governor General Jerry Mateparae, and talks with Prime Minister John Key and Leader of Opposition Andrew Little. The highlight though would be the president’s meet with the Kiwi-Indian community.
The president will also visit AUT where an MoU between Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Faculty of Humanities of Victoria University, Wellington, will be signed on the continuation of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies by the High Commissioner and Professor Windsor, Pro Vice-Chancellor Victoria University. On this occasion, the Hon’ble Steven Joyce will also announce the Education Excellence Awards for Indian students.
The three-day state visit can mean a lot to the Indian community in New Zealand for the simple reason that this is easily the biggest ever official state visit from India to this country. The business community, in particular, will be keeping a close eye on this visit, as it has the potential to bring good news for them. It is therefore no surprise that INZBC, the lead organisation in this space, is hosting the president for a Business Leaders Meet with top 100 industry leaders on May 1.
External affairs spokesperson for India, Vikas Swaroop, while announcing the state visit said, “Several agreements are expected to be signed during the visit in the fields of economic cooperation, education and connectivity. Both sides see prospects for cooperation in agriculture, dairy, food processing, education and skill development as well as high technology. The Indian diaspora of 175,000 helps to further cement our ties.”
It is clear from the statement that one of the most important agendas from the Indian delegation is to push for the direct flights between the two countries to improve the connectivity in the pacific region. In fact, INZBC has been lobbying at various levels for this alongside Nick McDonnell from Air New Zealand for nearly three years. This now seems to be sitting on the cusp of turning into a reality with the official announcement of a potential signing of the New Zealand-India Air Services Agreement by Minister Bridges, Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key and the visiting Indian minister.
This would potentially remove one of the major and the basic hurdles for the business community. It would also improve the commercial relationship and the people to people contact between the two countries.
Agriculture and science and technology are other sectors that the delegation will be keen to sign treaties on. With more than 25,000 students coming for higher education to this country from India every year, close cooperation between the two countries at the university level will also bring rich dividends.
New Zealand, on the other hand, has got more to gain from this visit if they can push for the free trade agreement, which has been pending for quite some time now. Prime Minister John Key welcoming the delegation said, “It will be an opportunity to highlight our warm relationship, based on a shared Commonwealth heritage, commitment to democracy and the over 160,000 New Zealanders of Indian-origin, who make an important contribution to the business, cultural and sporting life in New Zealand.” He also spoke about economic gains that can be achieved by developing close economic ties with India. He added, “India is an increasingly important trade and economic partner for New Zealand. Our total trade in goods and services with India topped $2 billion last year, and more than 23,000 Indian students studied in New Zealand last year alone.”
With more than seven per cent of GDP growth per year, India along with China can be a parallel business partner to New Zealand’s economic aspirations. If this transpires, New Zealand will be the only country that can boast of having a free trade agreement with rival Asian economic giants. Free trade agreements can open up a massive influx of import-export opportunities, which could actually be used as a yardstick to forming trade alliance with other countries as well.
The education sector, which attracts a massive income to the country, can further be increased to exponential numbers. It is, therefore, fitting that the president will be addressing students at AUT.
This can also have a positive impact on the IT sector of New Zealand, which is facing acute shortage of manpower. The tourism industry in New Zealand, which many Indians can now afford, could be another selling point for the New Zealand government.
A coincidence?
If one were not to be over analysing, the recent appointment of a high-profile diplomat, Mr Sanjiv Kohli, at the helm of Indian Embassy in Wellington, should have been a good indication in itself of something big to follow. The Indian president’s visit has proven just that. Speaking with Indian Weekender, an upbeat Mr Kohli said, “The visit of the Honourable President is truly a historic one.
This visit will provide huge momentum to our growing and multi-faceted engagement with New Zealand. Given convergence of views between our two countries on important regional and global issues, this visit will also set the tone for more structured and deeper coordination between our two countries in dealing with emerging challenges and opportunities.”
Mukherjee's visit to New Zealand comes after the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit in 1986.
We at Indian Weekender sincerely hope that the delegation brings joy to the Indian diaspora in New Zealand.