Auckland’s Sky Tower lit up in the colours of Indian flag on Friday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nation. The image was shared by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Published: July 10, 2026, 5:35 PM IST
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Sky Tower was lit up in the colours o f the Indian flag ahead of PM Modi’s visit. Image Credit: @MEAIndia/X
The iconic Sky Tower in Auckland was illuminated in the colours of the Indian tricolour on Friday (July 10) as a special gesture to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand.
Sharing a picture of the Sky Tower on X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “A special welcome in Auckland! The iconic Sky Tower was illuminated to mark the visit of PM Narendra Modi to New Zealand, symbolising the friendship between our two countries.”
A special welcome in Auckland!
The iconic Sky Tower was illuminated to mark the visit of PM @narendramodi to New Zealand, symbolizing the friendship between our two countries.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 10, 2026
PM Modi arrived in Auckland on Friday evening for the third and final leg of his three-nation visit. In a special gesture, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon received him at the airport.
PM Modi arrives in Auckland, greeted by PM Luxon
PM Modi is on a visit to New Zealand at the invitation of Luxon, marking the first official visit of an Indian PM to the island nation in four decades. In Auckland, Prime Minister will hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Luxon and review the entire gamut of the bilateral relationship, which has seen significant progress in the last two years, especially in the areas of trade and commerce and defence, as per a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also shared a video of PM Modi’s arrival in Auckland on X, stating, “Welcome to New Zealand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Welcome to New Zealand, Prime Minister @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/NlY0POBBaD
— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) July 10, 2026
While in Auckland, Prime Minister will also interact with prominent business and sports personalities. In a reflection of the strong people-to-people ties that exist between India and New Zealand, the Prime Minister will address a large gathering of the Indian Diaspora during the visit, as per MEA. After the signing of the Free Trade Agreement in April this year, the visit of Prime Minister Modi is expected to work as a catalyst and generate momentum in trade and bilateral relations. Both the PMs earlier held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on March 17, 2025, during the official visit of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to India.
PM Modi calls New Zealand visit historic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called his visit to New Zealand “historic” shortly after arriving in Auckland. In a post on X, PM Modi thanked New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon for welcoming him at the airport and highlighted that his visit is the first Indian Prime Ministerial visit to the nation in four decades.
“Reached Auckland a short while ago. Thankful to Prime Minister Luxon for the welcome at the airport. This visit is historic, being the first Prime Ministerial visit to New Zealand in four decades,” he wrote.
Sharing visuals from his welcome, PM Modi expressed optimism towards the scheduled talks with PM Luxon regarding the bilateral partnership between the two nations and the community address in Auckland. “Look forward to holding talks with Prime Minister Luxon and discussing the complete range of the India-NZ friendship. I will also be addressing a community programme tomorrow in Auckland,” PM Modi wrote.
