NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the futures of India and New Zealand are “intertwined” as he called for closer cooperation in technology, trade, space and sport during an address to the Indian community in Auckland.Speaking on the final day of his two-day visit to New Zealand, PM Modi highlighted the growing partnership between the two countries, pointing to collaborations ranging from space exploration to rugby. His visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years, comes after both nations elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership and adopted a Roadmap to 2030 to deepen cooperation across trade, defence, technology, security and regional affairs.Addressing the gathering, PM Modi recalled India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission and acknowledged New Zealand’s contribution to the achievement.“When India’s Chandrayaan landed on the Moon’s south pole, all of New Zealand was rejoicing… New Zealand’s technology also contributed to this success. New Zealand space company has collaborated with us on several occasions. We are working to take this cooperation even further… The trade agreement will accelerate our journey towards a developed India and boost businesses in both India and New Zealand,” he said.The Prime Minister also pitched greater sporting ties, saying India was keen to learn from New Zealand’s expertise in rugby.“India wants to learn from New Zealand in rugby… For this, we need coaches and experts. New Zealand can help us significantly in this regard. I consider the recent coaching programme involving New Zealand Rugby and Rugby India in Bhubaneswar to be a great start… I am confident that we can achieve a great deal together in the field of sports technology. The futures of India and New Zealand are intertwined,” PM Modi said.Marking 100 years of sporting relations between the two countries, PM Modi looked back at the Indian hockey team’s tour of New Zealand a century ago and praised Major Dhyan Chand’s lasting legacy.“This year marks the completion of 100 years of sporting relations between India and New Zealand… A hundred years ago, our hockey team came to New Zealand to play, and Major Dhyan Chand’s magnificent performance during that tour was the talk of the town. His hockey skills won the hearts of the people of New Zealand as well. This is the era of collaboration. New Zealand and India can achieve great things through collaboration in sports as well,” he said.PM Modi also celebrated the achievements of the Indian community in New Zealand, citing figures such as Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar, former Governor-General Anand Satyanand and cricketers Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel. He also pointed to place names such as Bombay Hills, Calcutta Street, Delhi Crescent and Amritsar Street as symbols of the long-standing links between the two countries.Earlier, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described PM Modi’s visit as a “historic milestone”, noting that it marked the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in four decades.“Tonight, New Zealand makes history. For the first time in 40 years, an Indian Prime Minister stands on New Zealand soil… Prime Minister Modi, let me say on behalf of 5 million New Zealanders, you are worth the wait,” Luxon said.Reflecting on his first visit to India in the 1990s while working for Hindustan Unilever, Luxon praised the country’s transformation under PM Modi’s leadership, saying every visit left him impressed by India’s “remarkable energy, the dynamism and the innovation” and describing its economic progress as “one of the greatest advances in human dignity the world has ever seen.”
