India is New Zealand’s 11th largest two-way trading partner
Boosting trade ties between India and New Zealand took centre stage during the recent visit by India’s Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
 
The highlight of the visit, from September 24-29, 2023, was the 1st India Business Summit co-organised by the Indian High Commission and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce which was addressed by New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), MoS Muraleedharan used the opportunity to share his views on India's economic growth and boosting India-New Zealand relations.
 
During the visit, MoS Muraleedharan held bilateral meetings with New Zealand’s Minister of Ethnic Community and Voluntary sector Priyanca Radhakrishnan and Minister of Education Jan Tinetti.
 
According to the MEA, both sides discussed a range of issues on bilateral cooperation and acknowledged that increased high-level engagements in the past one year have led to positive momentum in the relations. "The possibilities for furthering cooperation in education sector as well as welfare of Indian students were also discussed", the MEA added.
 
In this regard, MoS Muraleedharan held interactions with academia as well as think tanks and called for enhancing cooperation between the academic institutions. He also interacted with Indian students and the members of Indian diaspora and appreciated their contributions in strengthening business, cultural and people to people ties between India and New Zealand.
 
Incidentally, over the past year, Foreign Ministers of India and New Zealand have visited each other's country for discussions to consolidate bilateral relations. 
 
New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta undertook a four-day visit to India in February 2023. She held extensive discussions on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Their discussions covered education, migration and mobility, cultural diplomacy, climate and health.
 
Foreign Minister Mahuta's visit closely followed that of EAM Jaishankar to New Zealand in October 2022. This was his first visit to New Zealand and provided both sides with an opportunity to discuss deepening the bilateral cooperation between both countries through focused engagement in areas of strength.
 
STRONG TRADE AND PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES 
 
It may be recalled that during their fifth round of Foreign Office Consultations in Wellington, New Zealand on August 19, 2023, India and New had decided to strengthen trade and economic relations. The two sides noted the huge potential in trade and economic sectors and agreed to further promote G2G and B2B interactions, the MEA said after the meeting.
 
India is New Zealand’s 11th largest two-way trading partner with total two-way trade valued at USD 1.55 billion during 2121. While India imports logs, forestry products, wood pulp, wool and fruits and nuts from New Zealand, its export basket to the island nation consists of pharmaceuticals, precious metals and gems, textiles and motor vehicles, non-knitted apparel and accessories.
 
There are about 2,50,000 members of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand, making them 5% of the country’s total population. Incidentally, Hindi is the fifth most spoken language in the island nation.
 
The presence of a large Indian diaspora in New Zealand acts as a strong ‘living bridge’ between the two countries. Indians have integrated themselves well with the local communities while preserving their Indian identity.