Winston Peters in India

When I arrived in India, I didn't expect my first article to be about a New Zealander. Three weeks ago, I started an internship at the Deccan Herald in Bengaluru when Winston Peters announced his visit to the subcontinent. I couldn’t help but try to get an interview with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs—what’s the worst that could happen?

Obviously, this story wouldn’t be much of one if it ended there. Thankfully, a few late-night text messages with Peters’ press secretary paid off. I had 20 minutes with the Foreign Minister at the Taj Palace hotel in Delhi. I was the only New Zealand journalist to secure an interview.

I flew to Delhi, checked into a hostel, and arrived early at the opulent Taj Palace . As I walked from the train station, the hotel emerged from Delhi’s dust and chaos. Diplomats, journalists, and guests drifted in and out. It was 30 degrees outside, but the pomp of diplomacy is unaware of the heat. Every man—and it was mostly men—was dressed in a three-piece suit. After reviewing my questions and having a drink to steady my nerves, I was taken to meet Mr Peters.

I wanted to speak with him about trade. Despite India’s External Affairs Minister suggesting New Zealand should aim for bilateral agreements, Labour, National, and New Zealand First all promised to pursue a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India during last year’s election.

That was before Peters was in power. Now, he has the expertise of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs behind him.

So, I asked him: What does India want?

“I think India is just discovering that itself. They’re finding out exactly what they need, what they want. Some things I've seen here are quite exciting. It feels more open. But it's clear as daylight: It's India first, as you'd expect it to be," he answered. 

In conversations with officials and India experts, there is a general consensus that New Zealand will not secure a comprehensive FTA. My conversation with the Minister focused mostly on direct investments and bilateral agreements rather than an FTA, he said, “What I've set out to do with Foreign Affairs is to secure trading arrangement after trading arrangement, and all sorts of commercial arrangements with India to the maximum.”

The interview turned out to be a side course on the trip. Yes, it was a formative experience sitting inside that golden room. I sat alone at a marble boardroom table, interviewing a politician known for his contempt of journalists, while six male diplomats flanked him. It was bizarre and wonderful, akin to a strange political spinoff of The Apprentice.

Jack Marshall's one-on-one interview with New Zealand Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Winston Peters in India. Image: c/o the author.

The main course was a lesson in the importance of showing up. Reading the news from back in New Zealand felt like reading generative AI. Journalists wrote articles based on press releases and shared what they could. This was by the Government’s design. No New Zealand journalists were invited on the trip. Courtesy of the Asia New Zealand Foundation I just happened to be on the other side of the planet.

Being in Delhi changed how I see politics. In public, politicians often describe the world as they want it to be seen, not as it is. To look behind the political rhetoric and get a better grip on the reality, you need to meet face-to-face with people on the ground.

After my meeting with Mr Peters, I spoke with diplomats, business consultants, waiters, and auto drivers. Those conversations added color and depth to the narrative. I asked them the same question: What does India want?

The answer: Jobs.

India’s population is over 1.4 billion. Roughly six million people enter the Indian workforce every year. An unemployed population is an unhappy one, so the Indian government is laser-focused on creating six million jobs every 12 months.

A business consultant I spoke with put it simply: As long as Indians get jobs, the government is happy for foreign companies to come, do business, and make money. Buying exports that undercut the local market is not in the interest of the Indian government.

Reading about India from journalists writing 12,000 km away showed there is simply no substitute for on-the-ground reporting.

Read more about Jack Marshall's interview with Winston Peters in the Deccan Herald. 

++Opinions expressed are those of the author++

Banner: 19 March 2024, Deccan Herald's banner headline of Jack Marshall's story

-Asia Media Centre