Hindi is Fourth Most Spoken Language in New Zealand: Envoy

The Indian community in New Zealand is contributing to the growth of the country, High Commissioner Joanna Kempkers said. Hindi is the fourth most-spoken language in New Zealand, Kempkers added while speaking at the New Zealand-India Sustainability Challenge 2017 in New Delhi on Dec.7.

“In fact, Hindi is now the fourth most-spoken language. Also, we have about 1,85,000 people belonging to the Indian community, who are living in New Zealand and they are contributing to the growth story of our country,” Kempkers said, PTI reported.

The envoy emphasized upon the steadily growing cultural and people-to-people ties between both the countries. She added that people from different parts of India reside in New Zealand and they speak various languages like Hindi, Punjabi, and Gujarati.

“We both share common values, such as Commonwealth heritage and democracy. And, also, the common language i.e., English and now also Hindi,” she said.

Kempkers also talked about various issues such as tourism and influx of Indian students to universities in New Zealand.

“We offer 35 scholarships to students (applying for our universities) and after Kriti tweeted about it, the number of application went up dramatically. So, we feel the connect,” the envoy added, referring to Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon who was recently signed up by Education New Zealand, the government agency for international education, as its brand ambassador.

“Indian students are increasingly choosing to study in New Zealand. For the January-October period this year, there has been a 24 per cent increase in student visas, compared to the corresponding period last year,” John Laxon, the Regional Director- India, South East Asia and Middle East of Education New Zealand, said.

Laxon added that the population of New Zealand stands at about 4.5 million, with the Indian community forming about 4 per cent of it.

While talking about the tourism sector, Kempkers said that New Zealand is becoming the hot new destination for Indian weddings. The picturesque country is also flocked by filmmakers for shoots, and even corporate groups are sending employees for recreational tours there.

“In 2016, the number of Indian tourists who visited New Zealand stood at 58,000 while the corresponding figure from New Zealand to India was 66,000. Besides, the place is also attracting Bollywood,” she said.

The envoy also talked about the importance of sustainability and New Zealand’s efforts to go carbon-free. “Sustainability is of important to us. A large part of energy in the country is sourced through renewable resources. Over 80 per cent of the electricity is sourced from renewable sources. Also, New Zealand is planning to go carbon-free by 2020. So, we are on the path,” the envoy added.