Sri Lanka and New Zealand renew commitment to boost stronger ties

• Establishment of a Trade and Economic Dialogue with New Zealand discussed during visit of latter’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters  
• Expanding trade links, especially in high-potential sectors such as dairy, processed food, and fresh produce, and improving market access for Sri Lankan products 
• Deeper sports collaboration including training opportunities for young Sri Lankan athletes in cricket and rugby, and programs for women’s empowerment, particularly focused on financial management, entrepreneurship, and diplomacy
• New Zealand launches Sustainable Water and Livelihoods project which will support farming households to improve their health and income generation
• Government-to-government cooperation figure during talks

Sri Lanka and New Zealand yesterday renewed their commitment to boost stronger ties.

The reinforcement was expressed during the visit of New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and his meeting with Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Foreign Employment Minister Vijitha Herath.

During the bilateral talks, Minister Herath said that Peters’ visit marks the highest-level engagement from New Zealand in recent times. The first, in fact, since the establishment of a resident diplomatic mission in Colombo in 2021, followed by the opening of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Wellington early this year.

“It is a significant milestone in the growing partnership between our two nations. I’m delighted to note that our countries have worked closely to deepen and broaden our ties and as a result, the Sri Lanka-New Zealand bilateral relationship has been further consolidated. I look forward to working closely with New Zealand, to transform our relations into a dynamic, multifaceted partnership in the future,” Herath said. 

He revealed that he and Minister Peters had wide-ranging and productive discussions, focused mainly on advancing interests in the areas of trade and investment, agriculture, education, tourism and sports. The two countries welcomed the negotiations held so far, and discussed working towards the establishment of a Trade and Economic Dialogue with New Zealand, through which the two countries hope to streamline collaboration across multiple sectors and promote growth and prosperity for Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand also explored expanding trade links, especially in high-potential sectors such as dairy, processed food, and fresh produce, and discussed improving market access for Sri Lankan products.

New Zealand’s longstanding support for Sri Lanka’s dairy industry—including initiatives like the Dairy Excellence Training Initiative (DETI)—has had a transformational impact on rural livelihoods. It was agreed to continue and deepen this valuable partnership in the dairy sector.

In the area of tourism, it was recognised the untapped potential that exists and agreed to consider joint promotions and investments. The need for further measures to boost tourism and people-to-people links was underscored during bilateral talks. 

New Zealand’s vital development assistance across multiple sectors—education, social cohesion, food security, and climate resilience was acknowledged. The two countries expressed keen interest in expanding vocational training collaboration, with a focus on industry-aligned skills development for youth.

With over 1,200 Sri Lankan students studying in New Zealand, the interest in building stronger educational linkages, and enhancing academic and institutional partnerships was reiterated.

The two countries also commended the cooperation on migration governance, particularly the Migrant Information Centre in Batticaloa, and welcomed continued collaboration on safe and regular migration pathways.

“Strengthening institutional integrity is a national priority. We expressed interest in establishing direct cooperation between Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and New Zealand’s anti-corruption agencies,” Minister Herath said. 

“Our discussions recognised the valuable contributions of over 23,000 overseas Sri Lankans in New Zealand, and the positive role they play in strengthening our relationship,” he added.

The two countries explored deeper sports collaboration, including training opportunities for young Sri Lankan athletes in cricket and rugby, and programs for women’s empowerment, particularly focused on financial management, entrepreneurship, and diplomacy.

Herath said the discussions reaffirmed the depth and diversity of the Sri Lanka–New Zealand partnership and “we are committed to advancing our cooperation across all spheres.”

He noted that Sri Lanka values its partnership with New Zealand and will continue to work closely, bilaterally, regionally and multilaterally, to promote shared values, enhance regional cooperation, and foster a peaceful, rules-based international order.

“Sri Lanka looks forward to working closely with New Zealand to further deepen our ties and deliver tangible outcomes for our peoples,” Foreign Minister Herath emphasised. 

In his remarks Peters said the New Zealand delegation was delighted to be in Colombo to further strengthen the warm relationship between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

He said relations between the two countries are long-standing. “Our trade dates from the 1860s and sporting connections to the 1920s. New Zealand was one of the first countries to recognise Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948. Our modern relationship is growing, thanks to investments by both countries. We are pleased the establishment of New Zealand’s High Commission in Colombo in 2021 was followed by the opening of a Sri Lankan High Commission in Wellington this year. These commitments will enable our trade, cultural and political engagements to grow for mutual benefit,” Peters said. 

For nearly 75 years, education has been a pillar of the relationship, starting with the training of Sri Lankan dental nurses in New Zealand under the Colombo Plan. Now we can count over 200 Sri Lankan alumni of New Zealand scholarship programs, he added. 

“We are delighted to note further strengthening of these links through cooperation on tourism research between New Zealand’s University of Otago and the University of Colombo. For many years, the New Zealand-Sri Lanka relationship has also encompassed development cooperation aimed at strengthening resilience in vulnerable communities, increasing food security, and contributing to disaster response,” Peters said.

He also announced another such link, the Sustainable Water and Livelihoods project which will support farming households to improve their health and income generation.

“On security, we shared views on the increasingly challenging global environment and the interconnected challenges for development, trade and security in the Indo-Pacific region. We remain committed to our cooperation across immigration, customs, police and defence,” he said. 

“We discussed the growing number of New Zealand companies working with and investing in Sri Lanka or looking to work with Sri Lankan partners. Many of these collaborations will deliver benefits for Sri Lanka in the tourism, agriculture, and healthcare sectors,” Minister Peters said. 

The two countries also discussed the key role government-to-government cooperation between food safety and border agencies plays to improve food safety standards, reduce red tape at the border, and increase Sri Lanka’s market access capabilities. “We reiterated that Sri Lanka’s application to accede to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is very welcome. We are pleased to confirm that places on short-term training courses in trade policy will be offered to Sri Lanka officials under the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Program,” Peters said.

“Naturally we discussed our two nations’ shared passion for sport and noted the success of the recent tour by the New Zealand men’s under 85 kg rugby team, playing against Sri Lanka’s Tuskers. We look forward to further future battles between New Zealand and Sri Lankan teams on the rugby pitch and the cricket field,” he added.