Education New Zealand, which operates under the New Zealand High Commission to India, intends to focus more on new collaborations with well-known Indian institutions in order to attract more students from India. New Zealand claims that India is the second largest student resource after China. Not to mention, approximately 15,000 Indian students are currently studying in New Zealand during the current fiscal year.

New Zealand, despite being a small country, has heavily invested in forging a relationship, with our India office being the largest among the 17 offices worldwide, Lisa Futschek, general manager international, Education New Zealand, told FE Education. “ I oversee our global footprint, with a particular emphasis on strong people-to-people links. India, being a substantial source market of students, is gaining increasing importance. Hence, our delegation’s focus is on fostering partnerships, particularly in the joint research and collaborative space,” she added.

The organisation claims to work with students in all areas to meet their needs, from creating profiles and recommending appropriate institutions to assisting them with scholarships. Education New Zealand also claims to have several partnerships with Indian institutions for student exchange and collaborative research initiatives. Some of these partners include IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, OP Jindal Global University, TATA Institute of Social Sciences, University of Delhi, and University of Mumbai, among others. “In FY24, 15,000 Indian students studied in New Zealand and we  aim to double this number over  next two academic years. India is important to us because it provides opportunities for us to form new partnerships.

Also, the recent government’s moves are making it much easier for us to find ways to collaborate well within institutions in a broader range than before,” Brett Berquist, assistant vice-chancellor engagement, University of Canterbury, said.