India and New Zealand on Saturday unveiled the comprehensive “India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030”, establishing a robust blueprint to significantly deepen defence and security cooperation over the next four years.PM Narendra Modi and New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon welcomed progress in defence and security cooperation, including the implementation of the 2025 India-New Zealand MoU on defence cooperation.Both agreed to maintain regular structured engagement at defence ministry and service levels. They highlighted cooperation under Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) in 2025, with New Zealand in command and India as deputy commander, supporting efforts to deter narcotics smuggling, terrorism, and illicit maritime activity in the Middle East and the Western Indian Ocean.As both India and New Zealand, as maritime nations, share an interest in a free, open, peaceful, and prosperous Indo Pacific, both PMs accordingly agreed to strengthen maritime cooperation, including through the newly concluded maritime cooperation arrangement (MCA), an implementing arrangement on cooperation in matters of hydrography and nautical cartography, and a mutual logistics support arrangement focused on the maritime domain.
They also welcomed naval activities, including bilateral naval exercises, as part of the MCA.India welcomed New Zealand’s nomination of Maritime Security as its priority pillar under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, and both sides agreed to explore specific cooperation activities under this pillar.They also agreed to establish an annual Maritime Security Dialogue to strengthen cooperation, coordination and information exchange.
