Auckland (The NZ Today)
The visit of India’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan to New Zealand has highlighted the growing maritime and defence cooperation between the two countries.
Admiral Swaminathan and his delegation visited Devonport Naval Base in Auckland, where he met Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding and received a Guard of Honour.
The Indian Navy chief was welcomed onto the Royal New Zealand Navy’s marae, Te Taua Moana, before taking part in discussions and briefings at the Maritime Warfare Training Centre.
During the visit, Admiral Swaminathan also visited the turret of HMNZS Achilles, a historic connection between the two navies. The Second World War-era light cruiser was later transferred to India in 1948 and renamed INS Delhi. India returned the ship’s turret to New Zealand in 1980, where it is now displayed at Devonport.
The visit comes as defence ties between India and New Zealand continue to expand.
In 2025, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the India–New Zealand Memorandum of Understanding for Defence Cooperation, strengthening collaboration between the two countries.
The Indian Navy also took part in regional security cooperation through the New Zealand-led Combined Task Force 150 drug interdiction operations in the Indian Ocean, where it held the deputy commander role in 2025.
Further progress was made this year with the appointment of New Zealand’s first resident Defence Adviser to India in Delhi and the signing of three maritime-focused agreements during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to New Zealand.
These included a Maritime Cooperation Agreement, a Hydrography Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, and an Indian Navy–NZDF Logistics Support Arrangement.
Rear Admiral Golding said the relationship between the two navies was built on shared interests, history and a commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region.
“Today it is the Navy-to-Navy relationship that is most developed,” he said, highlighting ship visits, cooperation through Combined Task Force 150, HMNZS Te Kaha’s visit to Mumbai and the arrival of New Zealand’s first Defence Adviser in Delhi.
The Indian Navy also shared images of Admiral Swaminathan’s traditional Māori Pōwhiri welcome at Te Taua Moana Marae, describing it as a reflection of respect, friendship and strengthening maritime ties between India and New Zealand.
Source: New Zealand Defence Force; Indian Navy.
