Blessen Tom
Auckland, January 14, 2024
The government agency charged with helping New Zealand businesses to grow overseas is ramping up efforts to strengthen ties with India through the second phase of its Illuminate India programme.
Launched last year (2024), the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Programme aims to provide Kiwi exporters with a structured learning pathway to navigate India’s dynamic business environment.
Multi-Immersion Programme
The ‘Go India Segment’ in 2025 is expected to feature two immersive programmes in March and May that have been designed to accelerate market understanding and entry.
“Illuminate India takes New Zealand exporters through three tailored stages: Know India, Go India and Grow India. These stages are designed for market understanding, immersion and, ultimately, market entry and acceleration,” New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Consul-General (India and South Asia) Graham Rouse said.
He highlighted the Go India Segment as a curated, multi-day immersion programme.
“It has been crafted to expose well-positioned New Zealand businesses to India’s fast-growing economy, enabling them to learn in days what could otherwise take months or longer to achieve. The Programme aims to address outdated market perceptions of the South Asian giant,” Mr Rouse said.
He said that New Zealand has observed increased interest in India, but market knowledge is often low and that Go India is designed to bridge this gap.
Focus on two sectors
NZTE has identified two broad sectors of focus: Technology and Manufacturing, and Food, Beverage and Consumer Goods (FBCG).
Within the Technology and Manufacturing space, areas of opportunity include IT services, software as a service, digital transformation, agritech, horticulture, infrastructure and green technologies.
“Government initiatives in India are driving demand by making it easier and more attractive to do business while enhancing the country’s manufacturing capabilities and trade across industries. In the FBCG sector, India’s position as the world’s fifth-largest consumer market is a key draw,” Mr Rouse said.
Household consumption in India nearly doubled in a decade to reach US$2.1 trillion in 2023 on the back of urbanisation, rising disposable incomes and changing lifestyles.
The Illuminate India Programme builds on recent diplomatic milestones.
In March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters visited India and welcomed Indian President Droupadi Murmu during a three-day state visit to New Zealand in August 2024.
Trade Minister Todd McClay has been particularly active, making four visits to India last year and meeting his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal, three times abroad.
“Ultimately, the Illuminate India Programme aims to increase the number of New Zealand exporters ready to enter and grow in India. This will foster trade, partnerships and mutual understanding between the two nations,” Mr Rouse said.
Tangible progress needed
India New Zealand Business Council General Manager Sunil Kaushal praised NZTE for its renewed focus on India.
“Kudos to NZTE for rethinking their strategy on India. Initiatives like this will excite New Zealand exporters. We hope that not just Prime Minister Christopher Luxon but other Ministers will also visit to strengthen ties,” he said.
However, there is a need for tangible progress.
“I hope 2025 will finally see the distance between the two nations bridged with a direct flight. We may be a nation of just over five million, but we play an integral part in the Pacific,” he said, expressing hope for a stronger bilateral relationship moving forward.
Blessen Tom is a Journalist at Radio New Zealand. The above Report and pictures have been published under a special agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
