Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], November 7 (ANI): A high-level delegation of the Gujarat government, led by Minister of Energy and Petrochemicals Rushikesh Patel, has concluded its roadshow in Australia and New Zealand ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) 2027, holding 11 one-to-one meetings, four ministerial-level meetings and eight sector-focused roundtables with more than 150 industry, business and government participants.
According to a release, held from October 26 to November 2, the eight-day roadshow also included six site and facility visits and three engagements with the Indian and Gujarati diaspora across the two countries. The outreach aimed to strengthen economic partnerships, attract investments and showcase opportunities in Gujarat across critical minerals, energy, renewable energy, technology, logistics, education, sports infrastructure and tourism.
The delegation included senior Gujarat government officials, Chief Commissioner of State Tax Roopwant Singh, IAS, and Commissioner of Geology and Mining Dhaval Patel, IAS. Industry representatives accompanying the minister 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 its October 26-30 visit to Australia, the delegation travelled to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and held nine one-to-one meetings with companies, investors 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 Anoulack Chanthivong, NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Industry and Trade, Innovation, Science and Technology, Building and Corrections; Warren Kirby, Member for Riverstone and Co-Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of India; and Mark Joseph Coure, NSW Shadow Minister.
Six sector-focused roundtables, hosted by 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 programme also included executive dialogues at the second Australia-India Business Meet 2026 in Sydney on commercial partnerships, along with engagements with the Queensland government in Brisbane on resources, energy, sports infrastructure and opportunities linked to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The delegation visited Monash University, Cricket Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Marvel Stadium and Gabba Stadium to study practices relevant to Gujarat's development priorities.
The Australian leg covered critical minerals, energy, technology, education, sports events and infrastructure, and tourism. The delegation also held diaspora engagements in Melbourne and Brisbane, inviting the Indian and Gujarati communities to participate in VGGS 2027 as ambassadors of Gujarat.
In New Zealand, the delegation visited Auckland on November 1 and 2 and held one-to-one meetings with Contact Energy and Service Foods. It also held a ministerial-level meeting with Simeon Brown, New Zealand's Minister of Health, Energy and State-Owned Enterprises.
Two sector-focused roundtables were organised, one on energy and petrochemicals by the India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) and another by the India New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (INZCCI). Together, they drew more than 50 participants, including representatives from Mainfreight Air & Ocean, Hiringa Energy, Energy Resources Aotearoa, Bank of New Zealand, Elemental Group and Taranaki Chamber of Commerce.
The delegation also visited Contact Energy's first grid-scale Glenbrook Ohurua Battery project. The engagements covered renewable energy, battery storage, logistics, banking and financial services, scientific research and technology. A diaspora interaction in Auckland connected the delegation with the Indian and Gujarati community in New Zealand.
The roadshow is part of Gujarat's global outreach ahead of the 11th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, scheduled to be held from January 10 to 12, 2027, at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
Launched in 2003, the summit is the Gujarat government's flagship platform for investment, business networking and knowledge sharing. The theme for VGGS 2027 is 'Viksit Gujarat—Shaping Global Future.' (ANI)
Gujarat delegation concludes Australia, New Zealand roadshows ahead of Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2027
