Auckland, July 11 -- New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday (local time) praised India's rapid economic transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him "one of the most important leaders of our time," while asserting that the "21st century will be shaped by India."

Addressing the Indian diaspora during a community event, Luxon highlighted India's achievements over the past decade, including poverty reduction, infrastructure expansion, space exploration (especially mentioning Chandrayaan-3), and its growing role in the global economy.

"In just the last decade, 250 million Indians were lifted out of poverty. The number of airports more than doubled to 157. About 95,000 kilometres of brand new highways have...