A quadrilateral Asia-Pacific partnershiptakes shape in Auckland

Consul-General of India in Auckland Dr Madan Mohan Sethi, with (from left) Pam Louis (Secretary General, NewZealand Malaysia Business Association), Tan Eng Wan (President, Singapore Business Association New Zealand), Dave Ananth (President, New Zealand Malaysia Business Association), Aldrin Thayalakal, Ken Pereira (Executive Committee Members, New Zealand India Trade Alliance and Indian Consul Sanjeev Kumar.

On December 10, 2025, at the Indian Consulate in Auckland, a milestone Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the NZ Malaysia Business Association (NZMBA), the NZ India Trade Alliance (NZITA), and the Singapore Business Association NZ (SBANZ).

Facilitated by Consul-General of India Dr. Madan Mohan Sethi, this initiative creates a quadrilateral partnership between New Zealand, India, Malaysia, and Singapore to accelerate regional trade and investment.

Key Highlights

• Strategic Objective: To transition from "ceremonial handshakes" to a market-driven, business-to-business (B2B) framework.

• Target Sectors: Technology, education, tourism, innovation, and investment-led growth.

• Practical Actions: The agreement commits to joint trade delegations, shared market intelligence, and reciprocal promotion to lower cross-border friction.

• The "Win-Win": * For NZ: Acts as a gateway to the Pacific while gaining access to Asian capital and scale.

• For Asia: Gains structured access to New Zealand’s innovation economy and stable business environment.

• Economic Diplomacy: The partnership is non-binding and pragmatic, focusing on flexible, high-value commercial outcomes rather than rigid bureaucracy.