India and New Zealand Adopt 'Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030' to Deepen Bilateral Cooperation

Key Points

· Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Christopher Luxon launched the India–New Zealand Strategic Partnership and adopted the Roadmap to 2030 as a framework for cooperation over the next four years.

Pillar I: Political & Diplomatic Engagement

· Regular meetings and reciprocal visits between Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers.

· Institutionalised Foreign Ministers' Dialogue.

· Annual senior officials' meetings to monitor implementation of the Roadmap.

· Greater parliamentary exchanges and official visits.

Pillar II: Defence & Security Cooperation

· Expand military exercises, personnel exchanges, defence dialogues and naval cooperation.

· Implement:

o 2025 Defence Cooperation MoU

o Maritime Cooperation Arrangement (MCA)

o Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement

o Hydrography & Nautical Cartography Arrangement

· Establish an Annual Maritime Security Dialogue.

· Operationalise the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.

· Strengthen cooperation on cyber security, counter-narcotics, law enforcement, and disaster-resilient infrastructure.

Pillar III: Trade & Economic Cooperation

· Target to double bilateral trade to NZ$7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030.

· Ensure early implementation of the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

· Operationalise the Authorised Economic Operators Mutual Recognition Arrangement (AEO-MRA).

· Enhance cooperation in:

o Horticulture

o Forestry

o Animal Husbandry & Dairying

· Promote tourism and encourage direct non-stop flights.

Pillar IV: People, Culture & Sport

· Strengthen people-to-people and diaspora ties.

· Implement the Joint Action Plan on Sport.

· Promote cooperation in:

o Traditional medicine

o Maritime heritage

o Cultural exchanges

o Recognition of seafarer competency certificates

o Local government partnerships.

Pillar V: Education, Science & Disaster Management

· Implement the 2025 Education Cooperation Arrangement.

· Expand partnerships in:

o Education

o Research

o Science & Technology

o Innovation

· Deepen cooperation through:

o International Solar Alliance (ISA)

o Global Biofuels Alliance

· Implement the MoC on Disaster Management covering preparedness, emergency response and capacity building.

Pillar VI: Regional & Multilateral Cooperation

· Cooperate in ASEAN-led forums and support a rules-based Indo-Pacific.

· Promote maritime security under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).

· Strengthen cooperation at the United Nations.

· New Zealand supports India's permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council.

· Extend mutual support for candidatures in international organisations where possible.

[ABS News Service/11.07.2026]

The Prime Ministers of India and New Zealand met in Auckland, New Zealand on 11 July 2026 and announced the cr]eation of the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership. The Prime Ministers endorsed this Roadmap to 2030 as a shared framework to guide joint action and further strengthen the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership over the next four years. The Strategic Partnership includes, but is not limited to, the areas and initiatives set out in the following pillars of this roadmap.

Pillar I: Political and Diplomatic Engagement

Endeavour to schedule meetings and reciprocal visits, on a regular basis, between respective Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers, including on the sidelines of regional and multilateral events.

Ensure effective high-level cooperation through regular Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue.

Intensify meetings and interactions between relevant Ministries and Government Departments to deepen cooperation in all sectors of common interest.

Promote regular parliamentary exchanges and official visits between India and New Zealand.

Consolidate the practice of annual meetings at the Secretary level, Ministry of External Affairs of India, and Deputy Secretary (Americas and Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, to provide a mechanism to steer and coordinate the implementation of the Strategic Partnership and the Roadmap to 2030.

Pillar II: Defence and Security Cooperation

Continue to pursue military interaction via exercises, visits of units (maritime, air, land), short-term personnel exchanges, sporting visits, defence staff college exchanges, and high-level defence dialogues.

Continue to enhance dialogue on defence related matters, including at the Ministerial level.

Continue to implement the 2025 India–New Zealand Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and maintain regular, structured defence engagement at Defence Ministry and Service levels.

Implement the recently agreed Maritime Cooperation Arrangement, Implementing Arrangement on Cooperation in Matters of Hydrography and Nautical Cartography, and a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement focused on the maritime domain. 10. Conduct naval activities, including bilateral naval exercises, as part of the Maritime Cooperation Arrangement.

Pursue cooperation on maritime matters under the Maritime Security pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

Establish an annual Maritime Security Dialogue led by Ministry of External Affairs of India and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand.

Operationalise the Memorandum of Arrangement establishing a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter-Terrorism (CT), led by the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand and convene the first meeting of the JWG on CT at a time that is mutually agreed.

Engage on shared cyber security priorities through the India-New Zealand Cyber Dialogue.

Work towards the formalisation of the India-New Zealand Memorandum of Arrangement on Cooperation in Combating Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Precursor Chemicals and Related Matters.

Work towards the formalisation of a Memorandum of Arrangement between National Investigation Agency of India and the New Zealand Police on law enforcement cooperation.

Strengthen collaboration through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure to improve the resilience of infrastructure systems.

Pillar III: Trade and Economic Cooperation

Bilateral Trade

Work towards an aspirational goal of doubling bilateral two-way trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030.

Work together on next steps for the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement to ensure its early entry into force and effective implementation.

Operationalise the 2025 Authorised Economic Operators Mutual Recognition Arrangement (AEO-MRA) under the aegis of the 2024 Customs Cooperation Arrangement (CCA) to simplify customs processes and facilitate trusted trade.

Primary Industries

Implement the 2025 Memorandum of Cooperation on Horticulture to advance joint research, knowledge exchange, post harvest innovation, and market development initiatives.

Implement the 2025 Letter of Intent on Forestry Cooperation through sustained policy dialogue, technical exchanges, and best practice sharing. 23. Implement the Memorandum of Cooperation on Animal Husbandry and Dairying to advance technical and policy collaboration.

Tourism

Operationalise the Memorandum of Arrangement on Tourism to promote two-way visitor flows and industry cooperation in the tourism sector.

Promote tourism growth by encouraging airlines to commence direct (non stop) flights under the updated Air Services Agreement.

Pillar IV: People, Culture, and Sport

Engage diaspora communities as partners in strengthening bilateral people to people links.

Continue to implement the 2025 Memorandum of Cooperation on Sport.

Implement the India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India and Sport New Zealand.

Support an expert-level exchange on traditional medicine.

Continue dialogue between Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India, and Maritime New Zealand on opportunities to strengthen the recognition of seafarer competency certificates to support our respective maritime industries.

Encourage cooperation under the Memorandum of Arrangement between the National Maritime Heritage Complex, Lothal, India and the New Zealand Maritime Museum.

Implement the Arrangement on Cultural Cooperation to foster better understanding of our respective cultures.

Encourage cooperation between local governments.

Pillar V: Education, Research, Science and Technology, and Disaster Management

Implement the 2025 Education Cooperation Arrangement between the two Ministries of Education to facilitate the continued exchange of information on India’s and New Zealand’s respective education systems.

Endeavour to further grow the number of government and institutional partnerships and engagements aligned to the Education Cooperation Arrangement’s objectives.

Deepen cooperation on climate action and low emissions transitions through active engagement with the International Solar Alliance, focused on solar deployment, financing, and capacity building.

Engage with the Global Biofuels Alliance to support sustainable energy transitions.

Encourage government officials, institutions and industry to scope and build bilateral partnerships in research, science, technology and innovation, with a focus on agriculture, climate, digital transformation, and new and emerging technologies.

Implement a Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Disaster Management Authority of India and the National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand covering preparedness, emergency response, and capacity building.

Pillar VI: Regional and Multilateral Cooperation

Exchange views on ASEAN led and other regional fora to uphold a rules based Indo Pacific.

Explore concrete cooperation under the Maritime Security pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and support the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS.

Strengthen cooperation at the United Nations and support UN reform, including India’s candidature for permanent membership of a reformed Security Council.

Exchange mutual support, where possible, for candidatures in multilateral and international organisations.

Note that the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030 gives rise to no financial commitments and does not create any legally binding rights or obligations under domestic or international law.