Relationship dossier
India
New Zealand
Relationship assessment
Economic engagement with recurring trade disagreements
India toward New Zealand
+15India has engaged New Zealand in negotiations toward a free-trade agreement and concluded a bilateral tax agreement. Trade negotiations stalled over market-access differences, including agricultural products.
New Zealand toward India
+15New Zealand has engaged India in negotiations toward a free-trade agreement and concluded a bilateral tax agreement. New Zealand's interest in dairy market access contributed to disagreements that stalled negotiations.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines sustained economic engagement, reflected in a bilateral tax agreement and free-trade negotiations, with significant market-access disagreements that stalled those negotiations. The balance is one of limited, practical cooperation rather than a close partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
India and New Zealand have maintained practical economic ties, including a bilateral tax agreement, and pursued a free-trade agreement. Those negotiations began in 2010 but stalled amid disagreements over market access, including New Zealand's dairy exports. The relationship shows concrete economic engagement alongside recurring trade friction; the breadth of cooperation beyond these areas is less clear.
Areas of tension
- Market access in free-trade negotiations, particularly New Zealand dairy exports and agricultural products.
Key developments
India and New Zealand began negotiations toward a free-trade agreement.
The bilateral tax agreement was amended to update arrangements for avoiding double taxation.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral economic arrangements are unclear.
- The status and substance of any renewed free-trade negotiations are unclear.