Feature Interview: H.E. Neeta Bhushan
Open for business: ‘It is now really easy to do business with India’ - Neeta Bhushan
High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, H.E. Neeta Bhushan says the initial groundwork is done, and now India and New Zealand need to build on its relationship. She spoke to INZBC about the impact of the INZBC India report and how New Zealand needs its own approach on growing its relationship with India. You’ve read the recent report that INZBC has released on the Indian New Zealand relationship and the next steps we need to take. What are your initial thoughts? What is your feedback on it?
number of official and business delegations have visited New Zealand and India respectively. Minister O’Connor will lead a business delegation in August. We hope to see very good meetings and interactions during his visit.
Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be interviewed for the Kia ora India magazine, highly regarded among the business, political, and various other communities engaged in the India New Zealand relationship.
In fact, I always say that in the last six months, that is from January to June 2023, we have seen the visit of more than 20 to 25 delegations between our two countries. These include delegations from department of Food safety, agriculture and horticulture, university representatives etc. Recently a delegation from the National Defence College of India was here. Many industry groups such as Pharmaxecil , Federations of Indian Exporters and AMUL have also visited New Zealand.
Regarding the INZBC report, it was impressive. I believe a lot of research and hard work went into it, and I congratulate the team for diligently highlighting all facets of the partnership, providing insight into the relationship’s progress and what more needs to be done. The report successfully captured ongoing trends such as enhanced diplomatic engagement, visits by business delegations, and our strong links in sports, culture, and people to people ties. These form a natural foundation for our enhanced business partnership. Your report also emphasized that a comprehensive approach, including both government and private sector is necessary for further strengthening our relations. That is a key issue at the moment. You’ve achieved a lot in eight or nine months. What has been your experience? How was your initial period in New Zealand? The experience has been fantastic, with lots of learning and a flurry of activities. First, we had the visit of Dr S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister in October 2022. This was followed by visit of FM Mahuta to India in February this year. In addition, a large
One of my biggest learnings has been that there is tremendous interest on both sides to take the relationship to the next phase. Recently, our two Prime Ministers met in Port Moresby and this is testimony to the commitment at the highest levels for very strong relations between out two countries. At every level, I see a lot of focus on our relations as well as willingness to engage more. I find this very encouraging. You’re saying there’s a lot of hectic activity that you have seen in the past few months and which is also obviously very encouraging for our relations, but what is the appetite of kiwi companies to work with India? Do you sense that they are really already warming up to India or still there’s a lot of work to do in that space.
inzbc india new zealand business council 10 | KiaOra India | JUNE 2023 INZBC.ORG