‘Tariff-free from day one’: New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon touts India trade deal ahead of Modi visit

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Thursday welcomed the proposed India-New Zealand trade agreement ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, saying the pact would significantly boost New Zealand businesses by opening greater access to the Indian market.

Highlighting the economic gains, Luxon said 57 per cent of New Zealand’s exports to India would become tariff-free from day one under the proposed agreement.

In a post on X, Luxon wrote, “New Zealand businesses are set to boom with our India Trade Deal. Fifty-seven per cent of everything we export to India will be tariff free from day one.”

Modi will undertake a two-day state visit to New Zealand from July 10 to 11 at Luxon’s invitation, marking the first state visit by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in nearly 40 years.

During his stay in Auckland, Modi and Luxon are expected to hold wide-ranging talks covering trade, commerce, defence, investment, technology and people-to-people ties as both countries seek to deepen their strategic partnership.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, bilateral relations have gathered significant momentum in recent years, particularly in trade, defence and economic cooperation.

The Indian Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet leading business and sports personalities and address a large gathering of the Indian diaspora, underscoring the strong community links between the two nations.

Final leg of Indo-Pacific tour

New Zealand is the final stop of Modi’s three-nation Indo-Pacific tour, following visits to Indonesia and Australia. The tour is aimed at expanding cooperation in trade, investment, critical minerals, technology, maritime security and defence while advancing India’s Act East Policy.

The visit comes amid evolving geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific, with India and its regional partners seeking to strengthen resilient supply chains, diversify economic partnerships and reinforce a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.