Who is Narendra Modi and why is he visiting New Zealand?

Explanation : One of the world’s most powerful leaders will visit New Zealand this weekend.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making his first official visit to Auckland following New Zealand’s signing of a free trade agreement with India.

Here’s what you need to know about Modi and his visit.

Modi, 75, has been India’s prime minister since 2014, ruling about 1.43 billion people in the world’s most populous country.

He is the third longest-serving leader in the country’s history and heads the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 2024, he won a historic third term, but his party lost an absolute majority and needed coalition partners to form a government.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Modi’s visit as “historic” and India as “a country of critical importance to New Zealand’s prosperity”.

He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit New Zealand since Rajiv Gandhi in October 1986. His mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, visited New Zealand in May 1968.

“We will also celebrate the people-to-people connections between our two countries, with Kiwi Indians making up approximately 6 per cent of New Zealand’s population and making significant contributions to our country,” Luxon said.

In the 2023 census, Indians overtook Chinese as the third largest ethnic group in New Zealand after New Zealand Europeans and Māori.

Our two countries have long enjoyed close ties, as RNZ’s Gaurav Sharma reports.

The visit comes after the free trade agreement was officially signed in April, although it has not yet been ratified by Parliament.

Modi is extremely popular among India’s overseas resident diaspora. Auckland leads the way with an estimated population of 175,794 Indians in 2023.

Many members of the diaspora come from Gujarat, where Modi is from and was the former chief minister from 2001 to 2014.

“This is a historic moment for our diaspora,” Bhav Dhillon, India’s former honorary consul in Auckland, told RNZ recently.

Modi has already visited New Zealand once in 2001, long before he became prime minister.

It’s a quick trip and follows Modi visit Australia and Indonesia also this week.

Modi will arrive in New Zealand on Friday evening and will be formally welcomed by Luxon on Saturday morning, followed by a bilateral meeting.

There will then be an event and celebration for business leaders from New Zealand and India, followed by a media stand-up with Luxon.

Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins is also expected to meet Modi.

There will also be an event marking 100 years of sporting ties between the two countries.

Then, on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., the biggest event of Modi’s visit is the “Kia Ora Modi” rally, which could attract more than 10,000 people, according to a community leader.

Guests were required to register online for the event and registration is now closed.

Modi will then leave New Zealand on Saturday evening.

RNZ will cover Modi’s visit throughout the Matariki bank holiday weekend.

A police spokesperson told RNZ that a large security operation would be in place for Modi’s visit. Training and exercises for the visit took place this week.

“Additional support from specialist groups is being deployed, including public order teams from across the country,” police said.

“These specialist resources will be able to assist in the event of crowds of supporters or any other disruption that may occur,” police said.

“Given a visit of this scale, the public should expect disruptions in certain parts of the city at different times of the day.”

Modi’s politics and those of his Bharatiya Janata Party are generally considered right-wing and Hindu nationalist, and he is a longtime member of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS.

Although he is credited with India’s rise to the global stage and economic prosperity, his actions on human rights, press freedom and crony capitalism have also raised concerns, including their impacts on Muslim, Christian and Sikh populations in India.

There will likely be protests following his visit. Modi’s own security team is reportedly working with New Zealand authorities.

Church of Destiny leader Brian Tamaki has made videos calling on New Zealand to “purge” Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in response to what he claims is the persecution of Christians in India under Modi.

Police reportedly seized weapons from Tamaki’s home recently, which he said was linked to his comments about India.

The Race Relations Commissioner called his comments “appalling”, but Tamaki denied inciting violence or engaging in hate speech.

There have also been rallies in New Zealand demanding a breakaway Sikh territory in India called Khalistan.

Sikhs for Justice says it is a human rights group, but Modi has specifically criticized the U.S.-based organization’s activities in New Zealand and it has been declared a terrorist organization in India.

In politics closer to home, New Zealand’s first leader Winston Peters also attacked the trade deal, saying it was “secretly” changing immigration settings for Indians – something Luxon and Trade Minister Todd McClay have denied.

Most business organizations said they supported the deal.

“This visit is about celebrating a winning partnership between New Zealand and India, one that benefits our people and supports greater prosperity and security for both our countries,” Luxon said in announcing the visit.