Beyond cricket and the Taj Mahal, Modi visit reveals reality of NZ ties with India

New Zealand Prime minister Christopher Luxon greeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi off the plane at the beginning of Modi's July 2026 visit to New Zealand

Amid the daily focus on the actions of the United States and China, whether it is talk of a Greenland takeover or missile tests in the Pacific, it’s easy to miss the country that is quietly becoming one of the most consequential players in our region. 

In an uncertain world, New Zealand needs more friends and more options. India is fast becoming one of the most important. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last week comes at a moment when the international environment is fragmenting fast: conflict spreading, supply chains being redrawn, technology reshaping economies, strategic competition sharpening. For small countries, resilience now depends on spreading relationships across a wider field of partners. 

India matters in this context because it is emerging as one of the major centres of economic, technological and diplomatic influence in the Asia-Pacific – even though in New Zealand we can get fixated on the numbers, whether population size, immigration or trade. 

A stronger India gives countries like New Zealand another source of partnership and influence, independent of both Washington and Beijing. 

Suzannah Jessep: "In an uncertain world, New Zealand needs more friends and more options."

We will not always agree with India, and nor should we expect to, but in a world where many countries are being pushed to choose sides, having more avenues for cooperation is valuable. 

India also plays a role few others can. It maintains ties across an unusually wide range of countries and keeps a diplomatic place in rooms that others get shut out of, even when tensions are running high. 

That balancing act reflects a long-standing determination to guard its strategic autonomy while maximising its influence – again, it won’t always align with New Zealand’s preferences, but it opens doors for dialogue at a time when geopolitical trust is in short supply. 

For all the headlines India generates, most New Zealanders know surprisingly little about it. A recent Asia New Zealand Foundation survey found 61 percent of New Zealanders see India as important to our future, but only 29 percent say they know much about it. That gap needs closing. 

When we think about India, we often default to familiar reference points: its large population, the Taj Mahal, cricket, or immigration because it is visible in our communities and workplaces. The same tendency exists in reverse. While living in India, I often heard New Zealand described as a green country full of sheep and famous mainly as the setting for The Lord of the Rings. 

These impressions are not necessarily wrong, but they barely scratch the surface. India is a vast, diverse and rapidly changing country made up of 28 states and eight union territories each shaped by different languages, cultures, political traditions and economic realities. Understanding India requires time and effort. 

Part of the challenge is that New Zealand’s relationship with India has historically been warm but relatively shallow. 

Geographic distance has played a role, as has the absence of a free trade agreement and the limited institutional engagement that often comes with it.  We have recognised India’s potential for years without building the knowledge and connections needed to engage with it skillfully. 

That matters because many of the issues that will shape New Zealand’s future are areas where India is likely to play an increasingly influential role. Climate change, food security, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, maritime security, artificial intelligence, energy transition and supply chain resilience are all areas where India’s influence is going to grow. 

With more than 1.4 billion people and increasing technological capability as well as economic weight, India can develop and deploy solutions at a scale few countries can match. 

China’s manufacturing scale accelerated global adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles; India has the potential to do something similar in other sectors. Its low-cost Unified Payments Interface, which has stripped away barriers to digital transactions, is one example – and New Zealand businesses, researchers and innovators are increasingly working alongside Indian partners to build solutions with global reach. 

With a free trade agreement now negotiated, the option to accelerate cooperation is on the table. 

Prime Minister Modi’s visit saw the upgrading of ties to a ‘strategic partnership’ and announcements spanning defence, education, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, technology, sport, innovation and tourism, as well as closer cooperation in the areas of science, technology and disaster management.  

These announcements should be welcomed. But the most significant outcome of the visit may be something less readily tangible: a deeper commitment to understanding one another. 

Meaningful cooperation will take time. 

We are separated by thousands of kilometres and operate on very different scales. We also inhabit different strategic environments. 

New Zealand’s nearest neighbour is also one of its closest friends. By contrast, India lives alongside contested borders, periodic regional instability and nuclear-armed neighbours, while being a nuclear power itself. These experiences shape how each country views risk, security and international cooperation. 

Our differences are a reason to engage more closely, not less. 

New Zealand should seek a relationship with India that is close enough to allow candid conversations, mature enough to accommodate differences and broad enough to support practical cooperation where our interests align. 

That kind of relationship is not built through trade agreements and government announcements alone, but through deeper knowledge, stronger institutions, and more regular exchanges between people. 

My own experience of India was shaped by my work as deputy high commissioner but also by art, music and culture, and by travelling across the country to better understand the distinct perspectives that exist from state to state. 

It reinforced how difficult it is to talk about India as though it were a single, uniform place. 

If this past weekend’s visit is the start of a deeper partnership, its long-term success won’t be measured by what gets signed over the coming days. It will be measured by whether New Zealanders and Indians come to understand each other better, and whether that understanding lets us work together on the challenges and opportunities that will shape our shared future. 

This piece was originally published on Newsroom on 10 July, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit. It has been updated to reflect official announcements made during the visit. 

The Foundation's Asia in Focus initiative publishes expert insights and analysis on issues across Asia, as well as New Zealand’s evolving relationship with the region.