Thursday, 19 February 2026 11:25

Indian FTA

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: Winston Peters' tirade against the free trade deal stitched with India may not be all political posturing by the wily politician.

A key highlight of the FTA is student mobility and post-study work visas. For the first time, New Zealand has signed a dedicated Student Mobility and Post-Study Work Visa Annex with any country.

The agreement also creates structured visa pathways for skilled Indian professionals, including a quota of 5,000 visas for stays of up to three years in sectors.

Peters’ assertion that the deal does more for Indian migrants than the dairy sector is not too far off the mark.

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