Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit New Zealand for an overnight stay next week, marking the first visit by an Indian leader in almost four decades. The trip, described as "historic" by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, is expected to draw more than 10,000 attendees to a community reception at Spark Arena in Auckland on July 11. Luxon emphasized the significance of the visit, noting the recent signing of the New Zealand-India free trade agreement in April, which aims to boost jobs, exports, and economic growth. Modi becomes the third Indian leader to visit New Zealand, following Indira Gandhi in 1968 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1986, though he previously visited in 2001 as a BJP strategist.