57% of New Zealand’s exports to India will be tariff-free, says PM Luxon ahead of Modi’s visit

A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the country, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that 57% of Wellington’s exports to New Delhi would be “tariff-free from day one”.

In a post on social media, Mr. Luxon welcomed the proposed India-New Zealand trade pact. “New Zealand businesses are set to boom with the India trade deal,” he wrote on X.

Mr. Modi will arrive ⁠in Auckland on ⁠July 10, departing a ‌day later, in the last leg of his three-nation tour. “Prime Minister Modi’s ⁠visit is historic, with this ‌being the first to New Zealand by an Indian Prime Minister in ‌40 years,” Mr. Luxon had said, announcing the visit.

In April this year, the two nations signed a free ​trade ‌agreement that will eliminate 95% of tariffs ‌on goods from ​New Zealand. The bilateral merchandise trade between the two countries stood at $1.3 billion in 2024-25, while total trade in goods and services reached about $2.4 billion in 2024, with services trade alone reaching $1.24 billion, led by travel, IT, and business services.

Mr. Modi’s upcoming visit reflects the growing momentum in the New Zealand-India relationship, a statement from Wellington said. The discussions between the leaders are expected to include trade and investment, maritime security, education, technology, tourism, sport, and global issues.

Ahead of his departure from Delhi, Mr. Modi said his visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand will further strengthen India’s Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision as well as “our outlook towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.” MAHASAGAR, or Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions, is India’s vision of security and growth for all regions.