Winston Peters & David Parker to co-lead high-level team
Foreign Affairs Minister, Winston Peters and Trade and Export Growth Minister, David Parker are visiting India this week to boost relationships.
Strengthening New Zealand’s political and business ties with India will be the focus of their visit from 25 to 29 February, and will visit New Delhi and Mumbai.
The Ministers are co-leading a high level business delegation to India to support increased people and economic engagement with the world’s 5th biggest economy.
“This Government is seriously committed to strengthening New Zealand’s relationship with India,” said Peters.
“We will be discussing how both countries can work together on global and regional issues, and towards potential trade and economic opportunities.”
Both Ministers will meet a number of counterparts while in New Delhi, including India’s External Affairs Minister, S.Jaishankar and Minister of Industry and Commerce, Piyush Goyal.
The business delegation includes senior business people representing a cross-section of New Zealand’s trade relationship with India. This includes companies working on premium food and beverage and primary production, advanced solutions for India’s aviation and manufacturing sectors, and ICT, tech and services offerings.
“Our delegates reflect the range and ingenuity of New Zealand’s business, and the potential for closer commercial links between our two countries,” Parker said.
“We share the wish to see New Zealand and India’s relationship thrive and deliver greater prosperity and security to both countries.”
India is New Zealand’s 13th largest two-way trading partner, with significant potential for growth and market diversification for New Zealand across both services and goods. The two-way trade between these two countries was $2.6billion in the year ending Sept., 2019.
India provides the second highest number of international students to New Zealand, while the number of tourist visitors continues to grow.
The Indian diaspora already makes up five percent (221,916 people of Indian origin) of New Zealand’s population and is growing. Hindi is the 5th most commonly spoken language in New Zealand.
Indian immigrants and students contribute skills and diversity to New Zealand’s economy and our communities.
