Strengthening India–New Zealand Collaboration: Te Matapihi Māori Delegation Visits Bengaluru

India–New Zealand relations continue to gain momentum through stronger connections in technology, innovation, education, entrepreneurship and trade. Reflecting this growing partnership, the Te Matapihi Housing Trade Delegation from Aotearoa New Zealand visited Bengaluru on 31 August 2026, bringing together Māori housing leaders, developers, innovators, researchers and business representatives for a day of meaningful engagement and knowledge exchange.

The Bengaluru programme formed part of a multi-city India visit covering Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, organised with the support of the Consulate General of India in Auckland, New Zealand.

In Bengaluru, Hutech Solutions organised and facilitated engagements connecting the delegation with technology organisations, educational institutions, startups and business leaders. The discussions explored opportunities for collaboration across Artificial Intelligence, DeepTech, Information Technology, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, education and bilateral trade.

A Warm Welcome at Hutech Solutions

The Bengaluru programme began at Hutech Solutions office with a traditional felicitation ceremony that brought together elements of Indian and Māori culture.

Pravat Ranjan Rana, Founder & CEO of Hutech Solutions, welcomed the Te Matapihi delegation and highlighted the importance of building stronger connections between India and New Zealand through technology, business, innovation and people-to-people engagement.

The interaction reflected a broader opportunity: combining India’s rapidly expanding technology and innovation ecosystem with New Zealand’s expertise, entrepreneurial capabilities and strong indigenous knowledge and community-led development models.

During the ceremony, Sudhir Samal, CEO of Heel2Hill Agro and TwotoFootwear, shared perspectives on emerging business and trade opportunities.

Debashis Behera, Director – Growth at Hutech Solutions, further highlighted potential areas of collaboration between organisations in India and New Zealand across technology, innovation and bilateral business opportunities. The delegation was also introduced to the programme and key engagements planned for the day.

AI-Powered Māori Language Interaction Creates a Memorable Moment

One of the highlights of the visit was a demonstration by the Hutech Solutions Product Engineering team of its AI-powered language and voice interpretation technology.

Hutech associates demonstrated how Artificial Intelligence and voice technologies can help bridge language barriers, using the solution to interact with members of the delegation in the Māori language (te reo Māori).

The demonstration created a memorable interaction and was warmly received by the visiting delegation.

Beyond the demonstration itself, the experience highlighted the potential for emerging AI technologies to support multilingual communication, cross-cultural engagement and language accessibility.

As Generative AI and intelligent language technologies continue to evolve, solutions that help people communicate naturally across languages can play an increasingly important role in global business, education and cultural exchange.

Technology as a Bridge Between India and New Zealand

The engagement at Hutech Solutions went beyond showcasing technology. Discussions explored how Indian and New Zealand organisations could collaborate in areas including:

• Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

• Data and digital transformation

• Cloud technologies

• DeepTech and emerging technologies

• Product engineering and innovation

• Entrepreneurship and startup collaboration

• Education and knowledge exchange

• Technology partnerships and bilateral business opportunities

These discussions reflected the increasing scope for India–New Zealand technology collaboration, particularly as enterprises in both countries explore AI-driven transformation, cloud adoption and new digital business models.

The ceremony concluded with the Indian National Anthem, followed by a minute of silence in remembrance of lives lost in the recent flash-flood disaster in Nepal.

Building Academic and Entrepreneurship Connections at XIME

The delegation subsequently visited the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), Bengaluru, where academic leaders presented opportunities for deeper collaboration between India and New Zealand.

Professor Anil J. Philip, Director of XIME, and Dr. Hirak Dasgupta, Dean, discussed potential initiatives including student study tours, faculty exchanges, entrepreneurship programmes, workshops and academic collaboration supporting indigenous communities.

The delegation also interacted with students and explored XIME’s entrepreneurship and technology ecosystem, including its incubation centre, technology facilities and Bloomberg Financial and Trading Lab.

The interaction demonstrated how academic institutions can become important bridges for international collaboration by connecting students, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders.

Such partnerships can create opportunities for knowledge exchange while helping the next generation of entrepreneurs and technology professionals gain greater exposure to international markets, cultures and innovation ecosystems.

Exploring India’s Startup and Technology Ecosystem at STPI Bengaluru

The delegation’s next engagement was with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bengaluru.

Mahadesha V, Director, STPI Bengaluru, presented STPI’s role in strengthening India’s technology ecosystem and supporting startups, SMEs and MSMEs through technology infrastructure, incubation, training and innovation programmes.

The delegation also interacted with startups that showcased innovative technology solutions, providing visitors with a closer view of India’s rapidly evolving startup and DeepTech ecosystem.

The interaction created opportunities to explore how startups and technology companies from India and New Zealand could potentially collaborate, exchange expertise and access new markets.

A Tree Symbolising Friendship and Sustainable Collaboration

The STPI engagement concluded with a commemorative tree plantation, symbolising friendship, sustainability and the aspiration for an enduring partnership between India and New Zealand.

The gesture carried particular significance in a programme centred around innovation, community development and long-term collaboration.

Just as a tree grows through sustained care, international partnerships develop through continued dialogue, trust, shared objectives and meaningful collaboration.

From Technology Dialogue to Business Partnerships

The Bengaluru programme concluded with a business networking dinner, bringing together members of the Te Matapihi delegation and Indian business leaders.

The networking engagement provided an informal setting for conversations around future business relationships, technology partnerships, investment opportunities and collaboration between organisations from the two countries.

Such interactions are particularly valuable because bilateral relationships are strengthened not only through institutional agreements but also through relationships built directly between entrepreneurs, technology leaders, researchers, academics and businesses.

Strengthening India–New Zealand Cooperation for the Future

The Te Matapihi delegation’s Bengaluru visit demonstrated the growing potential for India and New Zealand to collaborate across technology, AI, education, entrepreneurship, innovation and trade.

India brings significant capabilities in software engineering, Artificial Intelligence, digital transformation, cloud technologies and a large startup ecosystem. New Zealand contributes strong capabilities in innovation, sustainability, research, indigenous knowledge and community-centred development.

Bringing these strengths together can create opportunities for both countries.

For Hutech Solutions, facilitating the engagement was an opportunity to contribute to a broader dialogue around cross-border technology partnerships and India–New Zealand business collaboration, while demonstrating how emerging technologies such as AI can help connect businesses, communities and cultures.

Acknowledging the People Behind the Engagement

At the conclusion of the programme, Swayamprava Nanda, HR Manager at Hutech Solutions, delivered the vote of thanks and expressed appreciation to the delegation, participating institutions, business leaders and everyone who contributed to making the Bengaluru programme meaningful.

Special appreciation was extended to Dr. Madan Mohan Sethi, Consul General of India in Auckland, and the Consulate team for their efforts in organising and facilitating initiatives that create opportunities for stronger bilateral engagement between India and New Zealand.

The Bengaluru visit represented more than a series of meetings. It created opportunities for dialogue, cultural exchange, technology collaboration, academic engagement and new business relationships.

As India and New Zealand continue to strengthen their relationship, initiatives such as the Te Matapihi delegation visit can help transform conversations into collaborations—and collaborations into enduring partnerships.

India and New Zealand may be geographically distant, but technology, innovation, education and shared aspirations are bringing their people and businesses closer together.