Papua New Guinea

New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have a long-standing and warm relationship. New Zealand established diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea in 1975, when they gained independence from Australian administration.

We share a wide range of mutual areas of interest bilaterally, across the Pacific and globally, including through membership of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Papua New Guinea is the only Pacific Island country to bridge the Pacific and Southeast Asia, sharing a border with Indonesia.

Development cooperation and sustainability

Papua New Guinea and its people are highly diverse and uniquely resilient, the country is rich in natural resources and has a young, increasingly educated and connected population.

However, challenges in governance, geography, service delivery and under employment have contributed to limited broad based economic development and range of social challenges.

Papua New Guinea is one of New Zealand’s largest development programmes. Our key focus areas are in agriculture, gender, security and peacebuilding, governance, health, energy and climate change.

The latest information on our development cooperation activities in Papua New Guinea, including activity details and descriptions, start and end dates, geographic and sectoral focus, and expenditure figures, is available at DevData(external link).

Defence and security

We have a long-standing and robust defence partnership and support the Papua New Guinea Defence Force through the Pacific Leader Development Programme and regular exchanges between Defence Forces.

People and culture

Papua New Guinea is the largest and most populated Pacific Island country with a land area 1.7 times the size of New Zealand. It has over 800 diverse cultures and languages.

Citizens of Papua New Guinea can participate in the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme(external link), which creates mutual benefit for New Zealand's horticulture sector and for the workers’ families and communities.
The Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships Programme(external link) provides tertiary and short-term training scholarships to Papua New Guinea scholars. 

Trade and investment

Papua New Guinea’s economy is highly dependent on the extractive industry. The government is prioritising economic diversification to reduce this dependence and is seeking new investments in the primary sector, particularly in downstream processing of forestry, fisheries and agricultural products for export.

Papua New Guinea is seeking increased labour market opportunities within the region, including in New Zealand.

The Papua New Guinea Government is prioritising reforms that reduce corruption and improve infrastructure and service delivery. 

The latest information about New Zealand's trade profile with Papua New Guinea is available on the New Zealand Trade Dashboard(external link).