New Zealand PM Hails Indian Business Community’s Contribution to Economy

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has praised the Indian business community for their contributions in her homeland.

Ardern said on Nov. 27 that she hoped the Indian community would continue to strengthen the efforts of the New Zealand government in closer economic engagement with India, stuff.co.nz reported. She was speaking at an award event in Auckland where Indian businessperson were felicitated.

Ardern said that bilateral trade with India, currently placed at $2.2 billion, had the potential to grow further. Indians make up at least 5 per cent of the population in New Zealand. In the next 25 years, broad Asian ethnic group is supposed to grow from 12 to 22 percent, according to Stats New Zealand. Chinese and Indian ethnic population will almost double during the span, according to Stats NZ.

“My government is focusing on creating opportunities for businesses to grow and awards such as the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards are important to recognize and reward business successes,” Ardern said at the event, which was also attended by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. He also praised the Indian community and said that they had been true partners in the progress of the New Zealand economy.

Pleasure to join with the Prime Minister at the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards tonight very elegant in her Sari. pic.twitter.com/QUo34oLwDA

— Phil Goff (@phil_goff) November 27, 2017

Ardern, even before becoming the prime minister, tried to align herself with the Indian community by celebrating Diwali in Auckland in October 2017. The 37-year-old leader of the Labour Party had good things to say about her conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the India-ASEAN summit held at Manila in the Philippines earlier this month.

“I had good conversations with a range of people, but Modi [India] was really engaged, interested in New Zealand, knew a lot about our relationship,” she was quoted as saying in an earlier report by indianweekender.co.nz. “I put another plugin for a visit [by him], and I think maybe we got that a little further on. We haven’t had a visit by a Prime Minister from India since the 80s. It would be wonderful to try to encourage him to join us,” Ardern said after returning home from the Asia tour.