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Embassies and consular services for Papua New Guinea
| Location | Service areas |
|---|---|
| High Commission of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea | |
| New Zealand High Commission to Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea |
New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have been close partners for a long time. We established diplomatic relations in 1975, when Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia. In 2025, Papua New Guinea celebrates 50 years of independence and 50 years of diplomatic relations with New Zealand.
Both countries are members of the Pacific Islands Forum(external link) (PIF) and participate in regional organisations such as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Community (SPC). They are the only Pacific country who is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Papua New Guinea is also the only Pacific Island country that connects the Pacific and Southeast Asia. It shares a land border with Indonesia.
Development cooperation and sustainability
New Zealand provides bilateral development support to Papua New Guinea, one of our largest development partners.
Our engagement focuses on key areas such as sustainable agricultural and fisheries management, gender equality, good governance, child and women’s health, economic resilience and defence cooperation. For example, New Zealand partners with the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission to strengthen capacity and technical capabilities in the lead up and during Papua New Guinea’s elections. We are also working with the Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand to build a centre of excellence in ophthalmology (eye care) as Papua New Guinea has the highest rate of preventable blindness in the Pacific.
Papua New Guinea scholars are eligible for the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Programme(external link) which offers undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary scholarships, thematic short-term training, and vocational/professional short-term training. More information, including availability and application processes, are available here(external link).
For detailed information on New Zealand’s development cooperation activities—including project descriptions, timeframes, sectoral focus, and expenditure—visit DevData(external link).
Trade and investment
Papua New Guinea is made up of an abundance of natural resources with their economy relying heavily on the mining and extractive sectors. Despite this, Papua New Guinea looks to expand and grow other parts of their economy and have recently concluded an Economic Plan of Action with New Zealand which enables us to work together areas important to Papua New Guinea, like agriculture and fisheries.
To learn more about trade between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, visit the New Zealand Trade Dashboard(external link).
People and culture
Papua New Guinea is the biggest and most populated Pacific Island country. It’s about 1.7 times the size of New Zealand and has over 800 different cultures and languages — making it one of the most diverse countries in the world.
Many Papua New Guineans take part in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme(external link), which helps our horticulture industry and supports Papua New Guinea families and communities.
Defence
New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have a strong defence relationship. We support the Papua New Guinea Defence Force through leadership training and regular exchanges between our defence teams to build on their skill sets.