From the CE: Boosting global connections in education

Kia ora koutou,  

In March, I spent an incredible couple of weeks in New Delhi and Mumbai as part of the Prime Minister’s Trade Mission to India, and for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) conference.  

During the trade mission, I was pleased to witness, together with Prime Ministers Christopher Luxon and Narendra Modi, the signing of a refreshed bilateral Education Cooperation Arrangement (ECA) between New Zealand and India. Education is a key feature in the New Zealand-India bilateral relationship, with India the second largest source market of international students for New Zealand. 

The trade mission also served as a valuable opportunity to grow our connections with the Indian Institute of Technology New Delhi (IIT Delhi) through the New Zealand Centre, which is at the heart of our education partnerships in India.  

IIT Delhi is backed by all eight New Zealand universities and is a hub for joint research and advancing India’s Digital India vision in AI, data science and advanced engineering. Prime Minister Luxon spoke at the education event which saw the announcement of several education initiatives, including a scholarship package and virtual internship programme, aimed at deepening bilateral collaboration. 

There is no doubt that New Zealand has made a splash in India, and we look forward to continuing the momentum.  

Last week, the Government announced its Quarter 2 Action Plan for New Zealand with 38 actions focused on economic growth. Boosting international education and export education earnings is a key action under the plan. ENZ is currently leading cross-agency work to develop an International Education Growth Plan for the Prime Minister and Ministers, and will be undertaking a series of sector engagements in the coming weeks. 

It is an exciting time, and I look forward to sharing more about this work in my next column. 

Ngā mihi nui,  

Amanda Malu  

Chief Executive