Insights

The 2025 Migrant Perception Survey gathers insights from migrants across New Zealand to better understand their experiences, challenges, and contributions to local communities. Conducted in multiple languages, the survey helps councils and organisations identify barriers to settlement, improve services, and support stronger, more inclusive communities across the country.

Sister city relationships help communities build lasting international friendships and cooperation. They create opportunities for cultural exchange, student programmes, business connections, and knowledge sharing between cities. By connecting local communities across borders, sister cities strengthen global understanding while supporting education, tourism, and economic opportunities.

Education partnerships between New Zealand and China will continue to grow as schools and institutions seek deeper collaboration. Student exchanges, joint programmes, research partnerships, and cultural learning opportunities help build global skills while strengthening long-term relationships, creating benefits for students, educators, and communities in both countries.

The Sister Cities Directory provides a central place to explore international partnerships between New Zealand communities and cities around the world. It highlights existing sister city relationships, key information about partner cities, and the opportunities these connections create for cultural exchange, education cooperation, business links, and community diplomacy.

Learning Chinese gives New Zealanders a powerful advantage in a world where China is one of our most important economic and cultural partners. Studying the language builds communication skills, deepens cultural understanding, and opens opportunities in trade, tourism, education, and diplomacy while strengthening New Zealand’s ability to engage confidently with Asia.

Iwi partnerships with communities in China create opportunities for cultural exchange, education collaboration, and new economic pathways. By building relationships directly with Chinese regions, iwi can share Māori culture, develop people-to-people connections, and explore opportunities in tourism, trade, and education while strengthening Indigenous diplomacy and global relationships

Sister-school relationships create opportunities for students and teachers to build international friendships, share culture, and learn from different education systems. Through exchanges, joint projects, and online collaboration, schools can broaden global understanding, inspire language learning, and give young people valuable international perspectives and lifelong connections

Migrants play a vital role in strengthening New Zealand communities. They bring skills, entrepreneurship, cultural diversity, and global connections that help local economies grow. Migrants fill workforce gaps, start businesses, and enrich community life through new perspectives, traditions, and networks that make towns and cities more vibrant, resilient, and internationally connected.