Cultural exchanges, sporting cooperation and strong people-to-people ties continue to reinforce the India-New Zealand partnership, with the large Indian diaspora serving as a key link between the two countries, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Ministry said Indian festivals such as Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan, Baisakhi, Guruparvs, Onam, Pongal and Annakut are celebrated across New Zealand. Several institutions also teach Indian classical dance forms, including Kathak and Bharatanatyam, alongside Bollywood dance and Indian languages, including Hindi.
Cultural engagement has expanded in recent years. In January 2024, an eight-member Rajasthani cultural troupe toured New Zealand, presenting nine performances, including at the Republic Day celebrations hosted by the High Commission of India. Earlier, in October 2021, New Zealand Post issued a set of four commemorative Diwali stamps, depicting different traditions associated with the festival.
The Ministry also said India and New Zealand are discussing an agreement for New Zealand’s participation in the National Maritime Heritage Complex being developed at Lothal, Gujarat.
Sports remain one of the strongest pillars of the bilateral relationship. According to the Ministry, India and New Zealand have long-standing sporting links, particularly in cricket, hockey and mountaineering. The two countries have shared a cricketing rivalry since the 1950s, while New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, who served as the country’s High Commissioner to India between 1985 and 1988, remains a celebrated figure in both nations.
Youth exchanges have also strengthened bilateral engagement. As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, 10 New Zealand cadets and two supervisors visited India in January 2023 to participate in the Republic Day Camp after being selected through a quiz on India’s history, culture and achievements.
Sports cooperation received a further boost during New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to India in March 2025, when both countries signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Sports, updating the sports partnership first established through a 2016 MoU. The Ministry said New Zealand is also considering commemorating 100 years of sporting links with India, marking a century since the first New Zealand hockey team toured India in 1926.
The Ministry also highlighted that Indian Paralympian Deepa Malik was awarded the Sir Edmund Hillary Prime Minister’s Fellowship in 2019 during her visit to New Zealand, where she met then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and participated in community events organised by the High Commission of India and the Auckland Indian Association.
