Education: Pillar of NZ–Sri Lanka Relations for 75 Years

COLOMBO (News 1st): New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, has announced the launch of a new development initiative—the Sustainable Water and Livelihoods Project—aimed at supporting Sri Lankan farming households in improving health and income generation.

The announcement was made during his official visit to Colombo, where he held bilateral talks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

Peters highlighted that education has long been the cornerstone of New Zealand–Sri Lanka relations, dating back nearly 75 years to the Colombo Plan, under which Sri Lankan dental nurses were trained in New Zealand. “Today, we count over 200 Sri Lankan alumni of New Zealand’s scholarship programmes,” he noted, adding that academic ties are being further strengthened through tourism research collaboration between the University of Otago and the University of Colombo.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized New Zealand’s longstanding commitment to development cooperation in Sri Lanka, particularly in areas such as food security, disaster response, and community resilience. The newly announced livelihoods project is expected to build on this legacy.

On regional and global security, Peters acknowledged the increasingly complex Indo-Pacific environment and reaffirmed New Zealand’s commitment to cooperation with Sri Lanka across immigration, customs, police, and defence.

He also noted the growing presence of New Zealand companies in Sri Lanka, particularly in tourism, agriculture, and healthcare, and emphasized the importance of government-to-government collaboration in improving food safety standards and reducing trade barriers.