New Zealand on Saturday renewed its support for India's bid for permanent membership of a reformed United Nations Security Council, signaling growing strategic convergence between the two countries as they seek to expand cooperation beyond trade into regional and global affairs.
Roadmap to 2030 adopted
The backing came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon adopted the India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030 during talks in Auckland. The roadmap, while charting the future course of bilateral ties, also underlines a shared view that the United Nations and its Security Council need urgent reforms to reflect today's geopolitical realities.
Besides backing India's candidature, the two countries agreed to coordinate more closely at the UN and other multilateral forums and, wherever possible, support each other's candidatures in international organisations.
Indo-Pacific alignment
The document also reflects a broader alignment on the Indo-Pacific, with both countries committing themselves to uphold a rules-based regional order, freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law. On international security, India and New Zealand voiced concern over the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, calling for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy while stressing the need to keep global shipping lanes, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, free and secure.
Terrorism condemned
The two countries also sharpened their common position on terrorism, unequivocally condemning terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism. They specifically denounced the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Both sides also pledged closer cooperation against terrorism and transnational crime through institutional mechanisms to be put in place under the new partnership.
Political guide, not legally binding
Unlike the broader political announcement on the Strategic Partnership, the Roadmap to 2030 spells out how India and New Zealand intend to work together over the coming years, with an emphasis on regular political consultations, closer coordination in multilateral forums and sustained engagement on regional security issues. The document, however, makes it clear that the roadmap is intended as a political guide for future cooperation and does not create any legally binding obligations or financial commitments for either side.
