This week, New Zealand will host Narendra Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit this country in four decades. 

It should be a major diplomatic and economic moment, coming as the India free trade agreement edges closer to ratification and the Government celebrates early signs of export growth. 

But behind the diplomatic spectacle, political tensions are still bubbling away. 

Foreign Minister Winston Peters- who will absent from the weekend’s events- has been openly critical of the deal, accusing National of quietly tightening immigration settings linked to it without proper transparency. 

So, is this a genuine breakthrough in one of New Zealand’s most significant relationships — or is the politics around the deal threatening to muddy the moment? 

Today on The Front Page, India New Zealand Business Council chair Edwin Paul is with us to unpack Modi’s visit, what the trade deal could actually mean for New Zealand, and whether the political noise risks overshadowing a historic opportunity. 

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.