Building on New Zealand and India’s strong diplomatic relations, Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) hosted the New Zealand-India Education Connect programme, from 8-14 February. The initiative was crafted to generate bilateral dialogue on research while fostering innovation, culture exchange, and cooperation in the context of international education.
The programme had delegates from New Zealand universities as well as Education New Zealand interacting with stakeholders across the education and government sectors in India to strengthen dialogue on internationalisation and student mobility.
At a media roundtable hosted in New Delhi, Education New Zealand announced the esteemed New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) scholarship awardees, empowering 27 Indian students to study at globally ranked New Zealand universities. Specifically tailored for Indian students, this scholarship is a collaborative effort between Education New Zealand and all eight New Zealand universities, which rank in the global top 3 percent (of 1,500 institutions) according to the 2024 QS World University Rankings. Since its inception in 2016, the New Zealand Excellence Awards Scholarships programme has empowered more than 200 Indian students to pursue their academic aspirations at top-tier universities in New Zealand.
In 2023, Education New Zealand unveiled an exciting fellowship programme for promoting joint research projects at the New Zealand Centre at IIT Delhi. The Centre is a research-focused hub that fosters collaborative, sustainable, self-supporting research programmes in areas such as climate change, disaster management, urban planning, and environmental monitoring which are all shared areas of national interest for both countries.
This initiative aimed to facilitate academic exchange and collaboration between universities in New Zealand and India. Following the engagement, six esteemed academics—four from New Zealand universities and two from IIT Delhi—were selected as fellows helping progress the joint work at the New Zealand Centre.
HE David Pine, New Zealand High Commissioner to India, sharing about the New Zealand-India Connect Week, said, “As New Zealand and India mark 72 years of formal diplomatic relations in 2024, it is fascinating to see to see how well we have nurtured bilateral ties in education. This relationship has grown through collaborations in academic research, student exchanges, and mutual cultural initiatives. Through developments discussed at the New Zealand-India Connect, we aim to further promote our shared goals of educational excellence and global collaboration.”
Adding to the discussion, Lisa Futschek, General Manager International, Education New Zealand said, “While India currently remains New Zealand’s second-largest source country for international students, we plan to further strengthen this partnership through effective research and academic collaborations whilst continuing to support student mobility initiatives. The all-new initiatives aim to deepen educational ties, foster cultural exchange, and enhance academic collaboration between our two nations.”
