New Zealand-India Education Connect prog held to strengthen cooperation & innovation between both countries

The Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ) hosted the New Zealand-India Education Connect program from February 8, 2024, that focused on generating bilateral dialogue on research between New Zealand and India while fostering innovation, culture exchange, and cooperation in the context of international education.

According to a press release, the week-long program that ended on February 14, was attended by delegates from New Zealand universities and Education New Zealand interacting with stakeholders across the education and government sectors in India with an objective to strengthen dialogue on internationalization and student mobility.

Notably, Education New Zealand announced the New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) scholarship awardees at a media roundtable hosted in New Delhi, wherein 27 Indian students were selected to study at globally ranked New Zealand universities.

The release stated that the New Zealand Excellence Awards Scholarships program has empowered more than 200 Indian students so far to pursue their academic aspirations at top-tier universities in New Zealand since 2016.

Again in 2023, Education New Zealand unveiled a fellowship program to promote joint research projects at the New Zealand Centre at IIT Delhi - a research-focused hub that fosters collaborative, sustainable, self-supporting research programs in areas such as climate change, disaster management, urban planning, and environmental monitoring – areas that are crucial for both New Zealand and India.

The fellowship program sought to facilitate academic exchange and collaboration between universities in New Zealand and India. 

Four academics from New Zealand universities and two from IIT Delhi were selected as fellows to help progress the joint work at the New Zealand Centre.

Speaking at the New Zealand-India Connect Week program, HE David Pine, the New Zealand High Commissioner to India, lauded New Zealand and India for marking 72 years of formal diplomatic relations in 2024. He said it was fascinating to see how well the bilateral ties in education have been nurtured over the years.

Lisa Futschek, General Manager International, Education New Zealand highlighted that with India remaining New Zealand’s second-largest source country for international students, plans are on to further strengthen the partnership through effective research and academic collaborations, and at the same time, continue to support student mobility initiatives.

The release informed that the New Zealand delegation also explored collaboration possibilities with various universities in Bengaluru.