Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spend just one day in Auckland as he tours the South Pacific, but one planned event has sparked controversy.

A Kia Ora Modi event is planned for that night at Spark Arena, organised by the Indian High Commission - with 12,000 people expected to attend.

Massey University professor and researcher Mohan Dutta has raised concerns that the rally will be a 'Hindu nationalist event' and some key dog-whistles have been identified.

"It is, I would say, a mix of some ceremonial components - and then particular kinds of messaging around the arrival of India on the global stage as a Hindu nation that specifically speaks to this audience base."

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