Rear Admiral Garin Golding, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, is currently on an official visit to India from March 16 to 21, 2025, aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation and enhancing strategic ties between New Zealand and India.

This visit coincides with significant discussions surrounding a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Defence Cooperation, which underscores both nations' commitment to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific region.

The visit commenced with Rear Admiral Golding attending the Raisina Dialogue, a prominent platform for addressing global security issues, where maritime cooperation was a key topic.

Following this, he laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi to honour India's fallen heroes. His engagements include high-level meetings with Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff of India, where they discussed joint training initiatives and collaborative maritime strategies aimed at bolstering naval ties.

In Mumbai, Rear Admiral Golding will interact with personnel from the Western Naval Command and tour the indigenous destroyer INS Surat.

These activities are designed to explore future collaboration opportunities in ship maintenance and technology exchange. A notable highlight of his visit will be the reception onboard HMNZS Te Kaha, hosted by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on March 20, further symbolizing the strengthening of maritime relations between the two countries.

This visit is seen as a pivotal step in enhancing bilateral defence relations, reinforcing mutual interests in regional security, and addressing increasing maritime challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

Both nations are committed to fostering peace and stability through enhanced cooperation in maritime security initiatives, intelligence sharing, and operational coordination.

Agencies