Gujarat Explores Partnerships In Energy, Minerals, Technology During Australia-NZ Roadshow

(MENAFN- IANS) Gandhinagar, Nov 7 (IANS) A delegation from Gujarat held eight business roundtables and 15 government-level and one-to-one meetings with more than 150 industry leaders during an eight-day investment outreach programme in Australia and New Zealand ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) 2027, scheduled to be held in Gandhinagar in January.

The delegation, led by state Energy and Petrochemicals Minister Rushikesh Patel, visited the two countries from October 26 to November 2, holding 11 one-to-one meetings, four ministerial-level meetings and eight sector-focused roundtables.

It also undertook six visits to industrial facilities and institutions and held three engagements with the Indian and Gujarati diaspora.

The roadshow covered potential partnerships in critical minerals, renewable energy, petrochemicals, technology, logistics, education, sports infrastructure and tourism.

The 11th edition of VGGS will be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar from January 10 to 12, 2027, under the theme 'Viksit Gujarat – Shaping Global Future'.

Patel was accompanied by senior state government officials, including Chief Commissioner of State Tax, Roopwant Singh, and Commissioner of Geology and Mining, Dhaval Patel.

Representatives from the private sector included Shreyans Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director of Shakti Group Companies; Mehul Vaidya, Senior Vice-President (Project Development) at Reliance Industries Ltd; Milan Thakkar, Director of Alexius Projects Pvt Ltd; and Harshil Tamakuwala, Founder and Director of Hindustan Mag Pvt Ltd.

During the Australian leg, from October 26 to 30, the delegation visited Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and held nine one-to-one meetings with companies and institutions, including Cavendish Renewable Technology, Cox Architecture, Initiative Sports & Events, Eyeonic, Progia Foods, Aus Energy Store, the Centre for Australia-India Relations, Endua and Populous.

It also held three ministerial-level meetings with New South Wales government representatives, including Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Industry and Trade, Innovation, Science and Technology, Building and Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong; Riverstone MP and Co-Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of India Warren Kirby; and NSW Shadow Minister Mark Joseph Coure.

Discussions focused on bilateral trade, investment and cooperation in sectors identified as priorities by Gujarat.

Six roundtables in Australia, organised with the involvement of AFL, TerraNext World, the Smart Energy Council and INQ Innovation Global, brought together more than 100 participants from government, industry, academia and startups.

The discussions covered sports infrastructure and major events, critical mineral supply chains, renewable energy and innovation-led entrepreneurship.

The delegation also participated in executive discussions on commercial partnerships at the second Australia-India Business Meet 2026 in Sydney and a Queensland government engagement programme in Brisbane.

The latter focused on resources, energy, sports infrastructure and potential opportunities associated with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As part of its institutional visits, the delegation toured Monash University, Cricket Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Marvel Stadium and the Gabba Stadium to study practices relevant to Gujarat's development plans.

It also met members of the Indian and Gujarati diaspora in Melbourne and Brisbane and invited them to participate in VGGS 2027.

In New Zealand, on November 1 and 2, the delegation visited Auckland, where it held one-to-one meetings with Contact Energy and Service Foods and a ministerial-level meeting with Minister of Health, Energy and State-Owned Enterprises Simeon Brown.

Two roundtables, organised by the India New Zealand Business Council and the India New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Industry, attracted more than 50 participants.

Representatives included Mainfreight Air & Ocean, Hiringa Energy, Energy Resources Aotearoa, Bank of New Zealand, Elemental Group and the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce.

The delegation also visited Contact Energy's grid-scale Glenbrook Ohurua Battery project. Discussions during the New Zealand leg covered renewable energy, battery storage, logistics, banking and financial services, scientific research and technology.

An interaction with the Indian and Gujarati diaspora in Auckland was also organised.

Launched in 2003, the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is the state government's flagship platform for investment, business networking and knowledge sharing.

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