“If defence cemented the early relationship, education gave it warmth. Through the Colombo Plan – a Cold War-era development initiative – thousands of Malaysian students received tertiary education in New Zealand from the 1950s onward. More than 30,000 Malaysians have studied in New Zealand’s universities and polytechnics over the decades, and many now hold senior positions in Malaysia’s government, education system, legal profession and business community. That alumni network is a form of soft power that money can’t buy…”
“The economic relationship has also grown steadily, though its shape has changed. In the early post-independence decades, trade was largely commodity-driven. By 2012, Malaysia had become New Zealand’s eighth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at around NZ$2.7 billion. A bilateral free trade agreement – the Malaysia–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (MNZFTA) – was signed in Kuala Lumpur in October 2009 and entered into force in August 2010, supplemented by the ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) that same year…”
“The relationship entered a new phase in 2023 with the signing of the Malaysia–New Zealand Strategic Partnership, a framework organised around four pillars: Prosperity, People, Planet, and Peace. The agreement was more than symbolic. When New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made an official visit to Kuala Lumpur in September 2024 – meeting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – both leaders announced an ambitious target: a 50 percent increase in bilateral trade by 2030, alongside a formal review of the MNZFTA to identify gaps and new areas of cooperation.”
https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/old-friends-new-ambitions-new-zealand-and-malaysia