Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari inaugurated the headquarters of the new Saudi cultural mission in Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday. The event took place in the presence of Nabil Al-Saleh, Saudi ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, and Ahmed Al-Juhani, consul-general in New Zealand, along with several officials.

Some 5,000 Saudis study at various universities in New Zealand. They include Auckland University, Auckland University of Technology, Massey University, Waikato University, Victoria University and Otago University.

The Ministry of Higher Education earlier announced that the new building comes under a program designed to help cultural missions own premises at their host countries.

The building has four floors and spans an area of 7,250 square meters in Mount Wellington, one of the most prominent neighborhoods and a suburb southeast of Auckland.

Sattam Al-Otaibi, Saudi cultural attaché in New Zealand, said the building has 3,638 square meters of office space for mission departments and sections, in addition to space set up for academic supervisors and staff.

The building also includes a prayer hall and a library that has already acquired several books in Arabic and English to be used as reference for anyone seeking information on Saudi Arabia.

The new premises also feature two wide halls for holding events and lectures and hosting training workshops for students. Each hall can accommodate up to 200 guests.

The first floor of the building consists of an exhibition area, which displays an image of the Kingdom and also contains a large collection of books on Saudi Arabia.

The building is equipped with the latest safety and security systems, advanced heating and cooling systems and specialized power-saving lighting solutions.

There are also 169 parking lots available for visitors and staff, in addition to lifts that help seniors and people with special needs.

The site of the building is characterized by the availability of basic services, such as bus stands, railway stations, shops and markets, as well as panoramic view of the gardens of Mount Wellington, the largest in New Zealand.

Al-Otabi said the cultural mission would work to strengthen cultural and academic relations with New Zealand universities and research centers.

New Zealand Ambassador to the Kingdom Hamish MacMaster said Saturday that the purchase of a new building in Auckland as the permanent headquarters for the Saudi cultural mission and Saudi students is a major step toward strengthening Saudi-New Zealand cultural ties.

“We are delighted that this new investment will facilitate our relations in the academic field since we consider education an important cornerstone of our relationship,” he told Arab News.