Rear Admiral David Proctor, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, is currently on an official visit to India from February 19 to 27, 2024. On February 20, 2024, Rear Admiral David Proctor engaged in discussions with Admiral R Hari Kumar, the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, in New Delhi, where he received the customary Guard of Honour on the South Block Lawns.
During the meeting, the leaders explored opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, focusing on increased operational collaborations, training exchanges, and information sharing. Rear Admiral David Proctor is set to participate in the Indian Navy’s Flagship Exercise MILAN 24 in Visakhapatnam and engage in high-level discussions at the Western Naval Command.
The maritime collaboration between the Indian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy has experienced substantial growth since the Chief of Naval Staff’s visit to New Zealand in October 2022. This visit marked the finalization of the Technical Arrangement on White Shipping Information Exchange. Additionally, warships from both navies have regularly made port calls, with the most recent visits being INS Kolkata and INS Sahyadri at Auckland and Wellington in September 2023. Indian Navy ships also conducted PASSEX exercises with the Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Tasman Sea post-departure.
