New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment, Todd McClay, on Friday, 18 September 2026, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public service with driving significant transformation in the Indian economy and the growing prosperity of its people. McClay's remarks came ahead of Modi's milestone on 7 October, when the Prime Minister completes 25 uninterrupted years in public office.

McClay's Assessment of Modi's Tenure

Speaking to reporters, McClay highlighted three pillars of Modi's leadership that he said stood out globally. 'Prime Minister Modi has focused on education for people, building more universities every year than anyone else in the world, and, of course, the great investment in infrastructure is quite significant,' he said. McClay also noted Modi's stated goal of increasing farmer incomes by 50 per cent by 2035, adding, 'I think we're joining him in that mission.'

New Zealand's Agricultural Technology Offer

McClay said New Zealand is keen to share advanced agricultural technology and innovation with India to help raise farmer earnings. 'There is a lot of advanced technology and innovation that we use in New Zealand that we will want to bring and work with India on to help increase the earnings of farmers in India, just as we have in New Zealand,' he said. This aligns with India's Viksit Bharat vision of achieving developed-nation status by 2047, under which rural income growth is a stated priority.

India-New Zealand Ties: Trade, Energy and Security

McClay underscored the broadening scope of the bilateral relationship, which now extends well beyond trade. 'Energy security is extremely important, and particularly around renewable energy, there will be a lot that we can do together. Of course, there's more to the relationship now. We've signed cooperation agreements around security. Our military forces will do things together constructively,' he said. The recently concluded India-New Zealand trade agreement, he stressed, is 'only the start of the effort, focus and investment' Wellington intends to make in the relationship.

McClay Plans India Visit Before Year-End

Looking ahead, McClay indicated that New Zealand has an election approaching, and once it concludes, he hopes to visit India before the end of the year. The prospective visit is expected to deepen consultations on the trade framework and renewable energy cooperation already under discussion between the two nations. India has in recent years emerged as a priority partner for several Pacific and Indo-Pacific governments seeking to diversify economic and security ties.