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Bilateral relations between New Zealand and Sri Lanka are friendly, although visits from Sri Lankan delegations to New Zealand are rare. Former Foreign Minister Phil Goff visited Sri Lanka in March 2005 as part of a broader regional visit. Associate Minister of Finance Clayton Cosgrove visited Sri Lanka in September 2006 as part of his attendance at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting. Other contact occurs on a regular basis in Commonwealth and UN meetings. There is a 7,200 strong Sri Lankan community in New Zealand comprising both Tamils and Sinhalese.
Trade between New Zealand and Sri Lanka is solid. New Zealand exports to Sri Lanka have increased significantly from NZ$117.0 million in the year ending June 2000 to NZ$336 million in the year to December 2008. This has largely been due to the growth in demand for dairy products (mainly milk powder) – more than 96 per cent of New Zealand’s exports to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is now New Zealand’s sixth largest market for milk and cream products.
In 1983, the New Zealand Dairy Board (now Fonterra) established a joint venture company in Sri Lanka, New Zealand Milk Products Lanka (today, New Zealand Milk Lanka is a wholly New Zealand owned company). Fonterra supply about 70% of Sri Lanka’s milk powder requirements.
New Zealand's annual imports from Sri Lanka have increased from around $18.8 million annually in the year ending June 2000 to NZ$37 million in the year to December 2008. Tea is the largest import item; other imports include rubber, textiles and ceramics.
New Zealand has provided aid to Sri Lanka for a number of years although we do not now have a dedicated bilateral programme. However, recently, New Zealand has provided a NZ$500,000 contribution to the work of the World Food Programme in Sri Lanka (October 2008) and funding to a health project through the International Federation of Red Cross (May 2009). (Note: Decisions on humanitarian funding for the 2009/2010 year are currently being made).
A NZ$250,000 contribution to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in late 2007 enabled UNFPA to be well positioned with mobile health clinics and community health volunteers who could step up to provide assistance during the recent influx of internally displaced people in the North. In 2007/08 New Zealand also contributed NZ$500,000 to the work of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, while in the previous year close to NZ$500,000 was contributed to the work of UNICEF.
The New Zealand Government committed approximately NZ$10 million for disaster recovery work in Sri Lanka after the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004. This was primarily provided through New Zealand-based NGOs with partner organisations working in Sri Lanka and the United Nations (UN).
New Zealand has also been supportive of efforts to build peace in Sri Lanka. At the Tokyo Donors’ Conference in June 2003, New Zealand pledged $1.5 million over three years for reconstruction assistance in support of the peace process.
In addition to the funding above, NZAID has also provided a total of NZ$935,000 over the past three completed financial years through its funding scheme for NGOs working in partnership with Sri Lankan NGOs on community-based development. NZ$885,000 has also been contributed to the humanitarian response projects of New Zealand’s NGOs in the past two completed financial years.
9 scholarships are available for students from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives.
Sri Lanka and New Zealand are currently considering ways to improve air links between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has made a number of statements on the internal conflict, which recently ended after 26 years. Please click on the links below to read these.
Land Area - 65,610 sq km Population - 21.1 million (2005 est) - Capital City - Colombo - Language - Sinhala (official and national), Tamil (national), English
Political system - Republic with an Executive President who is Head of State, Executive, Government and Armed Forces - National legislature - Unicameral legislature; 225 members directly elected for six years by a system of modified proportional representation - Last election - 2 April 2004 (parliamentary) and 17 November 2005 (presidential) - Next election due - April 2010 (parliamentary) and November 2011 (presidential) – Prime Minister (a largely ceremonial role) – Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (since 21 November 2005) - Head of State - President President Mahinda Rajapakse - Head of Government - President Mahinda Rajapakse
GDP - US$ 32.3 billion (2007) - Real GDP growth - 6.8% (2007) - Exports - US$ 7.7 billion (2007) - Imports - US$ 10.2 billion (2007) - Main exports - Textiles and garments 43%, Tea 13%, Precious/semi-precious stones 5%,, - Current account balance - US$-1.5 billion (4.5% of GDP) (2007) - Inflation - 18.8% (2007) - Gross external debt - US$ 12.2 billion (2007 estimate).
NZ Exports (FOB) - NZ$ 336 million (for year ended December 2008) - Main Exports - Milk powder 95%, butter 1%, paper and paperboard 0.5% - NZ Imports (CIF) - NZ$ 37 million (for year ended December 2008) - Main Imports - Tea 48%, rubber products including tyres 3.8%, vegetable fibres 3.3%, and food preparations 2.9%.
The Safe Travel website provides a travel advisory for travellers to Sri Lanka [external link].
