A vibrant Indian diaspora, growing educational cooperation and expanding academic partnerships have emerged as key pillars of the India-New Zealand relationship, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Ministry estimates that New Zealand is home to around 3 lakh Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), including nearly 70,000 Indian passport holders, while about 35,000 are of Fijian-Indian descent. Hindi has also emerged as the country’s fifth most spoken language, after English, Maori, Samoan and Mandarin.
According to the Ministry, the Indian community traces its roots to the late 18th century, when Indians first arrived aboard British East India Company ships. Over the decades, the community expanded from early settlers in Auckland and Waikato to professionals, entrepreneurs, farmers and business owners across the country. A recent study by an Indian community organisation estimates that people of Indian origin contribute more than NZD 10 billion annually to New Zealand’s GDP.
The Ministry said the Consulate General of India in Auckland, operational since September 5, 2024, has further strengthened India’s consular outreach by providing services to the growing Indian community.
Education remains another major pillar of bilateral engagement. India is currently the second-largest source of international students in New Zealand after China, with around 8,000 Indian students pursuing higher education in fields including information technology, engineering, hospitality, science and architecture.
Institutional collaboration has also expanded in recent years. The New Zealand Centre at IIT Delhi, established through a partnership between IIT Delhi and New Zealand universities, was inaugurated in 2020 to promote academic and research cooperation.
In 2024, Education New Zealand (ENZ) signed education cooperation arrangements with GIFT City, IIM Ahmedabad, and the Karnataka State Higher Education Council to strengthen collaboration in STEM, social sciences, hospitality, tourism, multimedia, collaborative research and academic exchanges. India was also designated the Country of Honour at New Zealand’s education conference held in Wellington in August 2024.
The Ministry also highlighted New Zealand’s ratification of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) during President Droupadi Murmu’s State visit in August 2024, describing it as another milestone in the growing partnership between the two countries.
