Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New Zealand on Friday, July 10, 2026, marking the final leg of his three-nation visit. He was received by his counterpart, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, at the airport, where the two leaders exchanged a warm hug. Mr. Modi expressed his gratitude to Mr. Luxon for the welcome, stating, ‘Reached Auckland a short while ago. Thankful to Prime Minister Luxon for the welcome at the airport.’
During his visit, Mr. Modi will hold talks with Mr. Luxon and address the Indian diaspora in New Zealand. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the visit as ‘historic,’ being the first Prime Ministerial visit to New Zealand in four decades. The MEA stated that the visit is set to strengthen bilateral ties and unlock new avenues of cooperation across several areas, including trade, defense, sports, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
The iconic Sky Tower in Auckland was illuminated to mark Mr. Modi’s visit, symbolizing the friendship between India and New Zealand. In his departure statement, Mr. Modi said that his visit would ‘meaningfully build’ upon the strong momentum in India-New Zealand ties, following Mr. Luxon’s visit to India in March 2025. He also emphasized that his visit to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand would further strengthen India’s Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision, and its outlook towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.
During his two-day visit, Mr. Modi will hold talks with Mr. Luxon on ways to further enhance economic, trade, and commercial engagements. He arrived in New Zealand after concluding a three-day visit to Australia, where he held summit talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The two leaders reinforced the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific and agreed to significantly ramp up defense ties, especially in the maritime domain. An agreement on civil nuclear energy was also sealed, facilitating the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to fuel New Delhi’s nuclear power projects.
Mr. Modi also met with Australian Opposition leader Angus Taylor and discussed bilateral ties. The MEA described the meeting as ‘productive,’ reflecting the strong bipartisan support in Australia for deepening ties with India.
