Singapore Country Profile
How do New Zealanders view Singapore?
How do New Zealanders view Singapore and its relationship with New Zealand? Our country profiles draw on the 2025 New Zealanders’ Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples report to reveal how New Zealanders view individual Asian countries. Perceptions of Asia presents the results from a survey of 2,300 New Zealanders, providing a unique glimpse into the importance of Asia to New Zealanders.
Singapore's importance to New Zealand's future:
56 percent of New Zealanders see Singapore as important to New Zealand’s future, making it the fourth most important country in Asia after China, Japan and India.
Singapore's importance to New Zealand's future
Q: How important do you think Singapore is to New Zealand’s future?
Perceptions of Asia 2025
Friend perceptions:
Singapore is one New Zealand’s closest friends in Asia, second only to Japan: 77 percent of New Zealanders identifying Singapore as a friend or close friend, up eight percentage points from the last survey. Only one percent of New Zealanders see Singapore as a threat.
Friend perceptions
Q: Do you view Singapore as a close friend, friend, threat or major threat?
Perceptions of Asia 2025
Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network members taking part in the Singapore Hui
Perceptions of Singapore as a friend increasing:
Singapore has consistently been seen as one of New Zealand’s closest friends in Asia, and positive sentiment has increased over time. While 64 percent of New Zealanders saw Singapore as a friend in 2018, 77 percent view it as a friend today.
A priority relationship:
32 percent of New Zealanders think New Zealand should invest extra effort into its relationship with Singapore. Trade and economic opportunities is the leading reason for wanting to strengthen ties, followed by technology and innovation.
A priority relationship
Q: Why should New Zealand invest extra effort into its relationship with Singapore?
Perceptions of Asia 2025
Trusted defence and security partner:
Singapore is seen as one of New Zealand’s most important defence and security partners in Asia, with 38 percent naming it as an important country to work with. Singapore’s importance has increased 10 percentage points since the last survey.
How much do New Zealanders know about Singapore:
40 percent of New Zealanders feel they know at least a fair amount about Southeast Asia, and 66 percent of New Zealanders can correctly locate Singapore on a map.
“We have strong economic relations with (Singapore) and they help our international trade. We have broadly aligned interests as two small trading nations in a similar geographic area.”
Female, 30-34 years, Chinese, Auckland
Download the Singapore Country Paper
pdf, 1.23 MB
Download the full Perceptions of Asia 2025 report
pdf, 8.36 MB
The Foundation's Research Programme commissions studies that support informed public conversations about New Zealand’s relationship with Asia. We also support the next generation of scholars through our Foundation Research Grants.
Our Asia in Focus programme provides expert analysis on on Asia and New Zealand-Asia relations.
