Cabinet Approves Opening Of Consulate General of India In Auckland, NZ

Updated: 28 Dec 2023

2 Min Read

Cabinet Approves Opening Of Consulate General of India In Auckland, NZ

India is soon going to open its Consulate General in Auckland, New Zealand. In this context, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to open the Consulate General of India in Auckland on 27 December 2023.

The Consulate's operations will commence within a year:

Establishing the Consulate General of India in Auckland will enhance India's diplomatic presence.
India's diplomatic representation will be strengthened in view of India's increasing global involvement. This will also help in promoting India's strategic and commercial interests and better welfare of the Indian community in Auckland.
This Consulate General of Auckland is expected to be opened and fully operational within a time frame of 12 months.

Consul General may be appointed:

India currently has a Consulate in Auckland. With the opening of the Consulate General, the Consul General can be appointed.
Generally, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer is appointed to the post of Consul General. The opening of the Indian Consulate General in Auckland will promote India's strategic and commercial interests.
With this, better services will be provided to people of Indian origin in Auckland. About 2.5 lakh people of Indian origin live in New Zealand. Of these, 1.7 lakh people live in Auckland only.
The India-New Zealand Business Council is also based in Auckland. Whereas the Indian High Commission is located in Wellington, New Zealand where the office of the High Commissioner of India is located.

About the High Commissioner and Ambassador:

Both of them are diplomats. The responsibility of both posts is to represent the country. The term High Commissioner is used for an ambassador to a Commonwealth country, while the term Ambassador is used for the remaining countries.
For example, the person representing India in Canada is called High Commissioner. In Commonwealth countries, India's Foreign Ministry office is called the High Commission.
High Commissioners maintain good diplomatic relations and help in economic and trade relations.
Except for the Commonwealth countries, India's representative in other countries is called an Ambassador.
For example, the representative of India in Germany is called the Indian Ambassador. Whereas the office of the Ministry of External Affairs of India is known as an embassy in other countries except the Commonwealth countries.