India–New Zealand FTA Accelerates Inclusive Growth Under Viksit Bharat 2047

• The India-New Zealand FTA accelerates trade, services access, mobility, and investment integration.
• Duty-free access boosts labor-intensive exports, MSMEs, artisans, women, and youth employment.
• The India-New Zealand FTA expands services, visas, skills mobility, and people-to-people ties.
• Agri-tech, pharma, and investment commitments strengthen resilience under Viksit Bharat 2047.

India and New Zealand have concluded a comprehensive free trade agreement that identifies a significant milestone in the Indian government’s vision in the Indo-Pacific region. This agreement came into force after intense negotiations led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ranks among the fastest free trade deals that the Indian government has concluded. These negotiations began in March 2025.

The agreement sets up an economic partnership that focuses on people and jobs, skills, and the development of MSMEs. It encourages trade and investment-driven growth and cultivates resilience. The FTA sets up clear and consistent guidelines that enhance bilateral relationships and India’s strategic economic presence in the Pacific region.

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India–New Zealand FTA Boosts Exports, Services, and Jobs

A significant aspect of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement is the elimination of tariffs on all New Zealand tariff lines applicable to Indian exports. This ensures that Indian exports get automatic duty-free access to sectors such as textile products, apparel, leather, footwear, marine products, gems and jewelry, handicrafts, engineering products, and automobiles. This increases the competitiveness of sectors that require extensive manual labor and helps the employees, artisans, women, youth, and MSMEs.

The FTA also features the country’s highest level of services commitments. The sectors in which India has gotten access in the FTA are information technology, information technology-enabled services, professional services, education, finance, tourism, construction, and business services. Opportunities have opened up for Indian businesses and highly skilled jobs in this regard. A new mobility arrangement has also been introduced for students and professionals in this free trade agreement.

Mobility augments with a temporary visa option for as many as 5,000 Indians with a maximum stay of up to three years. The visas would be for AYUSH, yoga, cultural, and in-demand fields of IT, engineering, healthcare, and education. The deal further enhances agritech collaborations for kiwifruit, apples, and honey to improve farm efficiency.

Investment links firm up with India offering a commitment of USD 20 billion, besides facilitating pharmaceutical exports, geographical indicators, and collaboration on wellness, culture, fisheries, and tourism. It stands as a significant step in India’s journey towards becoming a globally competitive, inclusive, and resilient economy under the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

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