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Auckland | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday departed for home after concluding a two-day visit to New Zealand, during which the two nations elevated their ties to a strategic partnership.

New Zealand was the final leg of Modi's three-nation visit, which also took him to Indonesia and Australia.

Modi was seen off by his Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon at the airport.

"A visit that deepened bonds, strengthened partnerships and shaped a shared future. After concluding substantive discussions and overseeing key set of outcomes in New Zealand, PM @narendramodi departs for India. In a special gesture, he was seen off by PM @chrisluxonmp at the airport," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on X.

Prime Minister @narendramodi's three-country visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand delivered significant outcomes advancing cooperation across several sectors, including trade, technology, security, education, innovation and people-to-people exchanges among others," it added. In New Zealand, Modi held talks with Luxon, following which the two elevated their ties to a strategic partnership and set a five-year target to double their annual bilateral trade in goods and services to Rs 35,000 crore.

The meeting yielded 18 concrete outcomes, including 10 agreements. Key among them were a roadmap to expand ties in the next four years, a framework for enhancing Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation, and a reciprocal logistics support pact between the Indian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force.

The visit came following the recent signing of the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It was the first visit to New Zealand by an Indian prime minister in 40 years.

During his visit, Modi also interacted with a select group of CEOs and business leaders.

At the interaction, Modi said that the landmark India-New Zealand free trade agreement would add depth and dynamism to the bilateral economic ties and open new opportunities for market access, investment and talent mobility.

He also interacted with the Indian community at an event titled 'Kia Ora Modi' in Auckland.

Earlier in the day, Modi toured an exhibition showcasing New Zealand's innovative sports equipment and technologies, demonstrated by some of the country's leading athletes and sporting icons.

Modi reached New Zealand from Australia, where he held summit talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and both leaders reinforced the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific.

A major highlight of the summit talks between the two leaders was their focus on significantly ramping up defence ties, especially in the maritime domain.

An agreement on civil nuclear energy to facilitate the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to fuel New Delhi's nuclear power projects was sealed after over two years of negotiations.

Modi was in Indonesia before that, where he inked 14 agreements to boost cooperation in critical minerals, maritime security and other key sectors.