Christopher Luxon, the Prime Minister of New Zealand announced the start of the July 2025 session of the New Zealand Excellence Awards during a ceremony at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi. In addition, to promote academic connections, additional MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding) were signed between New Zealand universities and Indian institutions.
As part of these activities, the New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA) 2025 provided a partial scholarship package worth NZ$260,000 to assist Indian students pursuing higher education in New Zealand, The Indian Express reports.
Interested candidates should be aware that some universities may have additional eligibility criteria beyond the general requirements, which can be discovered on their individual official websites. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2025.
During the ceremony, the Prime Minister and Professor Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi, announced the signing of multiple Memorandums of Understanding with New Zealand institutions and Indian institutes.
Some of them are the University of Auckland, the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), and IIT Kharagpur, among others.
One of the MoUs agreed between the University of Auckland and Tech Mahindra is for a pilot internship programme to strengthen the academic-industry collaboration.
The programme's goal will be to integrate academic expertise into real-world commercial applications while also driving research and innovation in AI, machine learning, and quantum computing.
Two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed by the National Institute of Design (NID) and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).
Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design and the NID have inked an agreement to collaborate on joint research, project consulting, and student and faculty exchange programs.
Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design and the NIFT signed an agreement to encourage academic and student interactions. The relationship will also include cooperative projects like guest lectures, workshops, and participation in international exhibitions.
The occasion also marked the establishment of the New Zealand Centre Innovation Fellowship, an initiative aimed at enhancing New Zealand-India partnership in innovation and entrepreneurship.
