We, the people of India, had heard that after 20 years, but today after 40 years, an Indian Prime Minister has set foot on New Zealand soil. This is my good fortune. I bring the best wishes of 140 crore Indians for all the residents of New Zealand, for all of you. Victory to India, victory to Mother India. Friends,
Even though this is my first visit to New Zealand as Prime Minister, 25–30 years ago, when I was not part of any government and no one knew me in public life, I had the opportunity to come here. At that time, someone gave me three gifts that I took back to India: this muffler, a cap, and a glove because it was cold. One of those things I have brought with me to this event today. This muffler you see was given to me by a friend from New Zealand 25–30 years ago. I have used it many times over the years and I have kept it carefully, just as I cherish your love. This time, when my visit here was planned, I specially brought it because I heard it would be very cold.
Friends, the relationship between India and New Zealand has memories, friendship, values, and a commitment. This relationship is well defined by a beautiful tradition of New Zealand. For centuries, the word 'waka' has connected people. Waka is not just a boat; it is a symbol of our shared journey. And today, this waka of India-New Zealand is ready to embark on a new voyage. We have an open sea full of opportunities. The winds are with us, the vast waves of the ocean are with us, and the blue sky of willpower is with us. There is much to achieve and I know we will succeed.
Friends, I have full confidence in the success of this journey. Do you know why? Because it is not Modi, but all of you who are the true sailors of this voyage. The Indian community spread across every corner of New Zealand, from Auckland to Wellington, from Christchurch to Queenstown, is a sailor of this shared journey. Friends, before proceeding further, I want to thank my friend Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, all the colleagues of the New Zealand government, and also the members of the Labour Party here. This shows how much bipartisan support there is for India-New Zealand relations. It also shows how great the achievements and contributions of the Kiwi Indian community are.
You came here and became part of the celebration of the Kiwi Indian community. This has made the celebration even more vibrant. The warmth, affection, and enthusiasm with which you welcomed us all—I am very grateful to you. By the way, Excellency, is there also a trend of superhits in the Kiwi Indian community? It is a super hit, isn't it? You just proved it. On India's Independence Day, the dance you did with Chris Hipkins to the song 'Damadam Mast Qalandar' went quite viral. Your faces are etched in the hearts of Kiwi Indians.
Friends, New Zealand is truly a wonderful country. There is peace, prosperity, nature, culture, and the real strength of New Zealand is its local people. The people of New Zealand have shown that when a country moves forward with passion and spirit, it inspires the world. The Kiwi Indian community here has been warmly embraced by the generous people of New Zealand. They have made you part of their team. They have trusted your talent and your vision. And see today, whether it is New Zealand's economy or its society, Kiwi Indians are adding new colours. New Zealand is the place where Nikhil Ravishankar can become the CEO of Air New Zealand, where Anand Satyanand can become Governor-General, where cricketers like Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel get opportunities. New Zealand is the place where even its streets honour Indian cities: there is Khandala (not the cinematic one), Bombay Hills, Coromandel, Kolkata Street, Delhi Crescent, Amritsar Street—so many names. Living here, you have become completely Kiwi. For instance, I am told that no matter what topic you start with, within a short while the conversation ends up on the weather.
Friends, whenever I meet New Zealand's leadership, they praise all of you a lot. The praise is for you, and my head is held high. Friends, all of you know that India is a civilization thousands of years old, which today, while preserving its ancient character, is embracing modernity. In every era, India has transformed itself, and the reason for that is our eagerness to learn. India learns from everyone. For us, it is not the population of another country but the spirit of public welfare that matters. And that is why we have learned a lot from New Zealand and are still learning. New Zealand is the country that first gave women the right to vote. Today we see that women in New Zealand society are contributing on a large scale. India too, with the mantra of women-led development, is opening new doors of opportunities for women.
Friends, how a rural economy can change a country's destiny—New Zealand has demonstrated that. New Zealand's strength is an efficient ecosystem built around agriculture. Whether it is traceability, food safety, or compliance systems, it is a great inspiration. This is a huge lesson for a large agriculture nation with small farmers like India. New Zealand has shown through the Zespri model that small farmers can become a big brand in the market. There is also much for us to learn from New Zealand's climate-smart precision farming technology. Friends, here Manuka honey is called liquid gold. Just as honey here is associated with health and wellness beyond tradition and taste, in India's Ayurveda too, honey has great significance. You will be glad to know that in India we are also running a mission on beekeeping. This has greatly increased honey production in India. And nowadays, the honey from the heights of the Himalayas is becoming the diamond of gold. I believe we can learn a lot from New Zealand to further increase honey production.
Friends, this year the India-New Zealand sporting relations complete 100 years. It is worth remembering and taking pride in: 100 years ago, our hockey team came to New Zealand to play, and during that tour, Major Dhyan Chand's brilliant performance was talked about everywhere. His hockey won the hearts of the people of New Zealand. Friends, in the language of content creators, this is the era of collaboration. New Zealand and India can do wonderful collaborations in sports as well. One example is rugby. I was just told that a short while ago the All Blacks recorded a brilliant victory in a rugby match. India wants to learn rugby from New Zealand. To bring India forward in rugby, we need coaches and experts. New Zealand can help us a lot in this. I consider the coaching program between New Zealand Rugby and Rugby India in Bhubaneswar recently a good start. Friends, before coming here today, I attended a sports startup event in New Zealand. The innovations and new ideas in sports tech truly impressed me. I am confident that we can do a lot together in sports tech.
The future of India and New Zealand is interconnected. One example is the space sector. When India's Chandrayaan landed on the moon's south pole, the whole of New Zealand was celebrating that day and we all felt proud. Now let me tell you another point of pride: New Zealand's technology also contributed to that success. A New Zealand space company has worked with us on many occasions. We are working to take this collaboration further. Friends, the space sector is enough to show how much India and New Zealand's economies can give each other. This is also the spirit of our trade agreement. This trade agreement will accelerate our journey towards a developed India and will give new opportunities to businesses in both India and New Zealand. Friends, there is another great similarity between India and New Zealand: it is about celebrating and preserving indigenous culture. Today, I especially want to remember the Maori society. I have not seen the haka merely as a performance; I have seen the soul of a society in the haka. It has courage, self-respect, reverence for ancestors, and a sense of collective strength of the entire community. Friends, in Maori culture there is a beautiful word: 'manaakitanga'. It means to give respect, to show belonging, and to take care wholeheartedly. In India too, we say 'Atithi Devo Bhava'. The words are different, the context is different, the attire is different, the languages are different, but the feeling is exactly the same. Similarly, in Maori culture, there is a beautiful word for family: 'whanau' – meaning family, which includes many generations, relationships, and the entire community. India does not consider family merely a social system; for us, family is an institution. Friends, there is another beautiful idea in Maori tradition: 'kaitiakitanga'. It teaches us that we are not owners of nature; we are its guardians. In India too, it is said, 'Mata Bhumi putro aham prithivyah' – the earth is our mother. With this thought, we are running many campaigns in India for the protection of Mother Earth, such as 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' and the Natural Farming Mission.
Friends, I know that even living thousands of kilometers away, somewhere in some corner of your heart, throughout the day, Hindustan always shines, Hindustan resides. Isn't it true? The body may be here, but the mind... And that is why you also keep an eye on every achievement of India. And when we sit in a cricket stadium and watch, many things are missed. But when you watch sitting at home on TV, every detail is known. Similarly, you know every detail of India. And this is what makes us most special. Indians, wherever they live outside the country, fully help in the progress of that country, while also staying informed about the development of their own country. Friends, we love our birthplace as much as we are dedicated to our workplace.
Friends, amid global challenges, the speed at which India is developing today is unprecedented. I will present before you a bouquet of the country's achievements, India's capabilities. I have brought this bouquet for you. And I firmly believe that in this bouquet, there will surely be a flower of your choice that you will find beautiful and that will fill you with pride. So, are you ready? Shall I present the bouquet? Now you have to find where your flower is in it... or maybe all the flowers are yours. Friends, today India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. India is the largest vaccine producer. India is among the leading countries in mobile data consumption. Today India is the second largest mobile manufacturer. Today India is the second largest telecom market. Today India is the second largest steel producer. Today India is the largest milk producer. Today India is the second largest fish producer. Friends, not only that, today India is the third largest automobile market. Today India has become the third largest startup ecosystem. India is soon going to become the third largest renewable energy producer. In solar energy capacity, India has also become one of the large countries. Friends, today's India is also giving new models of development to the world. Today India is successfully operating the world's largest digital identity platform. Today in India, through UPI, billions and billions of digital transactions happen every month. Today, dozens of countries in the world are showing interest in India's digital public infrastructure. In drone technology and space economy, India is reaching new heights. Friends, this is the picture of new India, which shows how India is balancing both ecology and economy, like New Zealand.
Friends, there is another aspect of India's growth: it is our heritage. India gives as much importance to its economy and ecology as it focuses on its heritage. An example of how India works is the sacred Sarup of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. When the crisis came in Afghanistan, we brought the sacred Sarups of Guru Granth Sahib to India with full respect. Friends, our great Sikh Gurus gave the message of service, courage, equality, and compassion to all humanity. Gurudwaras in every part of the world are centers of service. Anyone who comes hungry gets food. Anyone in distress gets support. In this environment, some brothers and sisters of the Sikh community told us that there were some issues related to FCRA for service at Sri Harmandir Sahib. We immediately resolved that problem. Friends, you all also know about Sri Hemkund Sahib Ji. It is located in the heights of the Himalayas. For a large part of the year, it remains surrounded by snow. If someone wants to go there for darshan, it is a difficult route. Very few people can go, especially our Sikh brothers and sisters who travel there. To make it easier for our elderly and our Sikh brothers and sisters to visit, the government is also building a ropeway to Hemkund Sahib. Friends, our government has also started celebrating Veer Bal Diwas on 26 December every year in memory of the bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzadas. Today this day has become a festival of inspiration for the entire country. Today, from Kerala to Assam, every child is learning about the sacrifice of the four Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri. Veer Bal Diwas has instilled unwavering courage in the hearts of countless children and youth of India. Friends, today I also want to talk about the sacred Joda Sahib. In my government, there is a colleague of mine, Shri Hardeep Puri Ji. His family's ancestors were servants of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Hardeep Puri Ji told me that his family had preserved the Joda Sahib of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji for 300 years. At the time of Partition, the ancestors of Puri Sahib’s family brought them safely to Delhi. The family wanted to hand over the sacred Joda Sahib to the Sikh sangat so that more and more people could have darshan. Then we formed a committee of those who know Sikh traditions. We took their advice and decided to take these sacred Joda Sahib to where Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's feet first touched the holy land, where he was born—that is, our Sri Patna Sahib. I am very happy that now these sacred Joda Sahib are at the holy land of Patna Sahib, and it is my good fortune that I had the opportunity to witness that holy occasion. I would also urge you that whenever you go to India, you must have darshan at Patna Sahib.
Friends, today I am leaving from here with a lot of confidence, a lot of love, and a lot of memories. And I will also say this: this time, it took 40 years for an Indian PM to come to New Zealand. But now you will not have to wait so long. Now it will not take 40 years. This is Modi's guarantee. And Modi's guarantee means a guarantee of fulfillment of the guarantee. Friends, today I also want to make a request to you. Shall I? It costs nothing to say yes. Some time ago, we have started a new experiment for the children of our Indian diaspora: the 'Know India Quiz'. Its first edition has just been held, and I have been very impressed by the energy with which our friends participated. Now we are making the sixth edition of this event more high-tech. Many events this time will be conducted through an app. My request is that all the young friends here should be part of this program. Know India and connect India's heritage with the people of New Zealand. Friends, I see a brilliant future ahead, in which there is the light of a developed India and the prosperity of New Zealand. With this belief, once again, thank you all very much. Thanks to Prime Minister Luxon and his team. Thanks to the people of New Zealand. Once again, say with full force: Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Thank you.
