Indian Consul General Madan Mohan Sethi on Tuesday vowed to ensure the Auckland office is fully functional in terms of services by May.
Operating from a temporary location in Mt Eden, the Indian Consulate currently offers services related to passports, Indian citizenship, attestation of documents, police certificates, birth and death certificates, liquor permits and non-resident Indian certificates, among other things.
In addition, the consulate issues certificates required to repatriate a deceased individual's remains or ashes to India.
"We provide all consul services here in Auckland ... except the OCI [overseas citizen of India] and visa services," Sethi said. "We intend to add these [to] our offerings once we shift to our permanent premises in the Auckland CBD soon. As such, I expect we should be fully functional by 1 May."
India opened a consulate in Auckland on 5 September, operating temporarily from the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Mt Eden.
Sethi joined the consulate as consul general in November.
Indian Consul General Madan Mohan Sethi Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
"We have served over 5000 people in the last five months," Sethi said. "Once we are fully functional, we will have a total staff of 21. The consulate website is now live, which people can use to book appointments."
The consular's jurisdiction covers Auckland, Northland and Waikato.
"Applicants who ordinarily reside in these areas are required to submit their applications at Auckland's consulate only. People outside these areas, including the South Island, must approach the Indian High Commission in Wellington for any services, as has been the case till now," the consulate said in a statement.
"All enquiries related to consular services should be addressed to cons.auckland@mea.gov.in."
Describing the relationship between India and New Zealand as "warm and cordial", the Sethi highlighted an increasing convergence in mutual interests on international issues.
"There are opportunities to cooperate in trade, commerce, investment, people to people connect, tourism and collaborations in the higher education sector," Sethi said.
He expressed a desire to promote Māori culture in India.
"India hosts a serious of international cultural festivals through the year, and our aim is to send Māori teams to some of them so as to introduce Indians to New Zealand's ingenious culture," he said.
Noting the high rejection rates of Indians applying for tourist and student visas when coming to New Zealand, Sethi promised to "take it up with the concerned authorities".
He also offered to support Indian migrants who faced exploitation by their employers in New Zealand - an issue that has been in the news since the introduction of the accredited employer work visa.
"Our doors are always open to anyone who needs genuine assistance," Sethi said. "There are several provisions under which we can assist them."
The consulate's emergency contact number for Indian diaspora in need of assistance is 021 222 7651.
Consulate staff ask people requiring assistance to send a brief text outlining the emergency and the services needed.
