Auckland [New Zealand], July 11 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday celebrated a century of sporting ties between India and New Zealand, calling for deeper collaboration in rugby, sports technology and coaching as he addressed the Indian community in Auckland on the final day of his six-day tour of Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Ahead of the community event, PM Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon posed with commemorative jerseys featuring the number '100' on the back in half blue and half black colours.
The vibrant colour of the jersey reflects the colours of the Indian and New Zealand cricket teams' jerseys. The jerseys, bearing the names 'Modi' and 'Luxon', symbolised 100 years of sporting relations between the two countries.
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi highlighted the historic sporting bond shared by the two nations.
"This year marks the completion of 100 years of sporting relations between India and New Zealand. A hundred years ago, our hockey team came to New Zealand to play, and Major Dhyan Chand's magnificent performance during that tour was the talk of the town. His hockey skills won the hearts of the people of New Zealand as well. This is the era of collaboration. New Zealand and India can achieve great things through collaboration in sports as well," he said.
The Prime Minister also underscored India's ambitions to strengthen rugby and sports technology through closer engagement with New Zealand.
"India wants to learn from New Zealand in rugby. For this, we need coaches and experts. New Zealand can help us significantly in this regard. I consider the recent coaching programme involving New Zealand Rugby and Rugby India in Bhubaneswar to be a great start. I am confident that we can achieve a great deal together in the field of sports technology. The futures of India and New Zealand are intertwined," PM Modi said.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi attended a Gala Lunch hosted in his honour by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, where he reiterated that the newly launched India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport would help expand cooperation beyond cricket.
"To increase cooperation in other sports along with cricket, we have created a Sports Joint Action Plan. A good start has been made recently with a coaching program by New Zealand Rugby and Rugby India in Bhubaneswar," Modi had said during the Gala Lunch event.
Thanking his Kiwi counterpart, the Prime Minister had said, "Prime Minister Luxon, I thank you for your friendship, your commitment, and for making my New Zealand journey memorable. Just as teamwork and trust are necessary in rugby, we too will move forward with mutual trust. We are on the same team, so we will tackle only the challenges. Thank you very much."
The sporting partnership has already gained momentum through a two-day high-performance coaching programme jointly organised by Rugby India and New Zealand Rugby at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in May. Conducted under the Memorandum of Cooperation on Sport signed between the two governments, the initiative brought together Indian coaches for classroom sessions, practical demonstrations and workshops led by New Zealand Rugby experts.
According to the India-New Zealand Joint Statement, both Prime Ministers welcomed celebrations marking '100 Years of Unity Through Sport' in 2026 and endorsed the India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport as a framework to strengthen cooperation in high-performance sport, coaching, sports science, participation, sports business and exchanges between national sporting organisations.
PM Modi's visit to New Zealand, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years, is the final leg of his three-nation tour, which also included Indonesia and Australia.