For all the opprobrium heaped on the National Party for their supermarket call, the old National was out yesterday finalising the India free trade deal. 

Of all the things this Government has done in its first term, the FTA with India may well be the most important. 

It will last forever, it will grow, and it will become an increasingly important part of our economic story. 

It's been made more important because for years it couldn't be done, apparently. 

It got knocked back so often that Governments kind of gave up. It became a bit too hard. 

Maybe they got stuck on dairy. But when you're stuck the trick is to look around the issues, not get bogged down by them. 

The downside of course is some couldn’t see the upside because of the racism i.e. they didn’t vote for it. But plenty did, which means New Zealand broadly is still middle of the road and interested in tapping into those markets globally that show the most promise. 

India represents the latest example of what this country does: we make stuff, and sell it to the world, and we are not quantity, we are quality. The growing middle class is all about quality. 

It's why our wine sales are still growing and Australia's aren't.   

But for those who think India is a mistake, who is it you would rather trade with? 

China is contentious, but we've got past that for over two decades and it's done nothing but provide work and income for so many of us. 

We don’t, and won't, get a deal with the Americans. They're not free traders. 

So population wise, who's left? Russia? They don’t have an economy. 

Yes, there's the EU. But it’s a half billion person collective with all the baggage that goes with it. We have a deal, but I bet you anything you want, our EU deal won't grow like the India deal will. 

India is the standout growth story for the next decade and beyond. For us not to be part of that would have been a crime. 

To sign what we have is a down payment on a better future.