Auckland: The huge Indian diaspora community in New Zealand is hoping that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is travelling to India, manages to convince Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit New Zealand at the earliest opportunity.

Luxon paid an official visit to India from March 16-20 and was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials, businesses, media and members of the Indian diaspora community in New Zealand. This was his first visit to India.

“Prime Minister Luxon, whenever and wherever he gets an opportunity, always talks very highly about Prime Minister Modi. Even before elections, during elections and after assuming power, the PM has showed a huge appetite to engage with India and especially with Prime Minister Modi as the leader,” Bhav Dhillon, the former Honorary Consul of India in Auckland and leading face of Indian diaspora in the country, told IANS in an interview.

“Diaspora here is, you know, very interested in whatever happens in India. They are still very connected to their roots. And Prime Minister Modi is very popular here. The diaspora looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in New Zealand. We are hopeful that when Prime Minister Luxon meets PM Modi, he will invite him over to New Zealand. That’s a longstanding demand of the diaspora here,” said Dhillon.

As per the latest data, over six per cent of New Zealand’s population is of Indian origin, making them the third largest ethnic group in the country. The majority live in and around Auckland which is New Zealand’s biggest city. “That’s a very big number. So, the people-to-people connection, what we call the living bridge between the two countries, is of great importance. Indians are contributing in every area, whether it’s culture, business, economics, sports or any other aspect of New Zealand life. On the economic front, a census was out last October that revealed that the average income of Indian adults was 25 per cent more than the average income of the other population here. So Indians are contributing way above on the economic front also. We are a very successful, hard working, peace-loving population in New Zealand,” stated Dhillon.

With so many people on board Kiwi PM’s flight to New Delhi this Sunday, Dhillon mentioned that it is going to be one of the largest delegations in the history of New Zealand accompanying the country’s leader on a foreign visit.