Kia Ora Modi: Luxon to depart from official programme to attend Auckland community event
Prime minister Christopher Luxon with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
“Because actually people-to-people ties is one of the three big legs of this relationship," says the prime minister.
Prime minister Christopher Luxon will step outside Narendra Modi’s official state-visit programme this weekend to attend the Indian prime minister’s large community reception in Auckland.
Luxon confirmed on Monday he would join the reception at Spark Arena, despite the event not being part of the formal programme for Modi’s tightly-compressed visit to New Zealand.
“I’ll be celebrating with the community,” Luxon said, arguing that people-to-people ties were one of the three main pillars of New Zealand’s relationship with India.
Modi is expected to land in Auckland on the evening of Friday, July 10, and leave the following night, spending about 24 hours in New Zealand.
His community reception, billed as Kia Ora Modi, is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at Spark Arena.
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The programme is expected to run for more than four hours, from 4pm until 8.30pm. Organisers have said the event has reached a “full house” after an “overwhelming response”.
It is not yet clear how long Modi himself will be present at the arena. Cultural performances and community celebrations are expected to take up much of the programme.
On July 6, Luxon was pressed by reporters over why he had chosen to attend the community event when it was not an official part of the state visit. A reporter also pointed out a few academics have warned events like these could have a political colour.
“Because actually people-to-people ties is one of the three big legs of this relationship,” Luxon replied.
“We have economic and trade components to it. We have security and defence components to it, and we obviously also have community components, parts to it.”
Luxon said similar events had been organised during overseas visits by Modi and other leaders.
“And I’ll be celebrating with the community, as has happened with many leaders around the world, when similar events have been organised with the communities when prime minister Modi has visited, and other leaders have visited often as well.”
A reporter then asked Luxon directly whether he would be comfortable with pamphlets of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India’s ruling party, being handed out at the event.
Luxon did not answer that question directly.
“Well, all I know is I’m going to be there celebrating what’s an outstanding achievement for New Zealand...to actually have prime minister Modi here, the leader of a major country, here in New Zealand, 40 years since we last had an Indian prime minister here,” he said.
“We’re going to be celebrating with the community.”
Luxon instead turned to the wider diplomatic and economic purpose of Modi’s visit.
“We’re also going to be talking about the business and the trade sectors that we think have huge opportunity for New Zealand, showcasing those to the prime minister as well, as well as obviously doing our formal bilateral work as well.”
Modi’s brief Auckland programme is also expected to include formal bilateral talks with Luxon, business engagements and other official events before he leaves New Zealand on Saturday night.
Luxon has described the visit as historic, noting that it will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to New Zealand in more than 40 years.
