Rt. Hon John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, emphasised that his country is keen on partnering with India, particularly through early conclusion of the bilateral free trade agreement. The Prime Minister was addressing a Business Session organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in New Delhi today.

The Prime Minister stated that India is a strong dominant player in the world today and the reform measures being taken would further boost its growth. He stated that the two countries should look beyond traditional areas such as agriculture and food processing and explore areas like High Technology manufacturing, IT, and e-commerce, among others.

The Prime Minister pointed out that a large number of technology companies are already forming joint ventures with Indian companies and taking advantage of the time difference. 

He stated that both countries need to be ambitious while negotiating the India – New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Citing the example of China, the Prime Minister stated that New Zealand had signed an FTA with them in 2008. Today, New Zealand’s trade with China is six times the level that exists with India. 

Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, agreed that the two countries need to reach a conclusion on the FTA very quickly. He stated that the delegation level talks that were held between the two countries earlier today had identified many areas of cooperation. These included sectors such as agricultural research, dairy development, food processing, the Swacch Bharat mission, tourism, and education. 

Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said that the two countries could work together in areas such as agriculture and food processing, travel and tourism, financial services, education and IT among others.

Mr Harshavardhan Neotia, President, FICCI, spoke about boosting trade in services. 

Mr S.C. Aggarwal, Chairman, India Pacific Business Promotion Council, ASSOCHAM mentioned that New Zealand was an important regional partner for India.

Ms. Shobana Kamineni, President Designate, CII complimented New Zealand for being ranked Number 1 in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings.

Five MoU’s were signed during the session:


·        Zindia Ltd. and Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd


·        InterGlobe Aviation Limited (IndiGo) and CTC Aviation Group Limited


·        Media Design School with Pearl Academy


·        Ara Institute of Canterbury and Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT)


·        Memorandum of Understanding between University of Otago and BSE Institute Ltd

October 26, 2016

New Delhi