Overview
- New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced Friday that the two countries will sign the deal on Monday, April 27, finalizing talks that wrapped up on December 22, 2025.
- The agreement grants tariff-free access for all Indian exports to New Zealand, with India keeping dairy and other sensitive farm goods like sugar, spices, edible oils and rubber excluded from concessions.
- For New Zealand exporters, India will remove or reduce duties on most products, with immediate cuts for items such as wood, wool, sheep meat and raw hides and phased reductions for machinery, petroleum products and select foods.
- The pact widens people-to-people links through a Temporary Employment Entry Visa for 5,000 Indian professionals, 1,000 annual work-and-holiday visas, and multi-year post-study work rights for graduates in STEM and doctoral programs.
- New Zealand will facilitate up to $20 billion in investment into India over 15 years, and the partners target doubling two-way trade to $5 billion within five years, with New Zealand to begin parliamentary treaty examination after the signing.