Auckland: The Indian community in New Zealand remains quite excited over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country starting Friday.
Speaking with IANS, a member of the Indian community highlighted that it would be after four decades that an Indian PM will be arriving in New Zealand.
“We are delighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting New Zealand. I still remember the last visit by an Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1986. I had the opportunity to attend a dinner in his honour. The entire Indian community is excited and happy about this visit. It will further strengthen the relationship between India and New Zealand,” he said.
He also talked about the opportunities the visit might open up between the two countries.
“I think it is highly significant that the Prime Minister of a country as large and rapidly developing as India — one that could become a global superpower in the next two decades — is visiting a small country like New Zealand. In the long run, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) offers tremendous opportunities. New Zealand has advanced expertise in agriculture, particularly in dairy farming and agricultural technology,” he highlighted.
A business founder from the Indian community called PM Modi’s visit a “real turning point” and “historic”.
“From my point of view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Auckland is a real turning point in the New Zealand-India relationship. Yes, it is historic. It’s been 40 years since an Indian Prime Minister visited New Zealand. But what matters more is when it is happening. It is happening on the back of the Free Trade Agreement, and also our recent Prime Minister’s (Christopher Luxon) visit to India,” he emphasised.
Another Indian community member called the visit “an important milestone” and noted the importance of the Indian community in the country.
“It’s a very, very significant visit because, after 40 years, an Indian Prime Minister is visiting New Zealand. So you can imagine it’s such an important milestone in the relationship between our two countries. Also, the Indian community has been part of New Zealand for more than a century and has contributed enormously across business, education, health, science, sports, arts – you name it – in every aspect of New Zealand life, including politics,” a community member said.
Prime Minister Modi is currently in Australia as part of the second leg of his three-nation tour. Following the conclusion of his engagements in Australia, he will travel to New Zealand, where he is scheduled to hold discussions with the country’s leadership aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation across key sectors.
(IANS)
