Auckland
From Sandringham to the CBD, Auckland Gets a Live Desi Show
Over 250,000 people of Indian descent call Auckland home, the largest South Asian population in Oceania outside Australia.
We're Coming to Auckland!Auckland is on the tour list. Sign up below and help us get there! Everyone on the list gets tickets first when we announce.
Auckland is home to the largest South Asian community in New Zealand. The Indian population is concentrated in areas like Sandringham (nicknamed Saris and Samosas central by locals), Papatoetoe, and Manukau in South Auckland. The University of Auckland and AUT attract Indian students, and the tech and healthcare sectors retain them. The community has real depth.
The format from New York: real dates happen on stage, the audience votes, and the night ends with a mixer where everyone meets everyone. Auckland's desi community has outgrown the Diwali in Aotea Square once a year model, and Sandringham's chai spots deserve a proper singles night that matches the energy of the neighbourhood.
New Zealand's Indian population has more than doubled in recent census counts. Auckland absorbed most of that growth. But the social programming hasn't kept pace. Diwali in Aotea Square is great, but that's once a year and it's not exactly a singles event. The gap between cultural celebrations and actual dating events is wide.
Kiwi dating culture is laid back, which is nice until you realize "laid back" sometimes means nobody makes a move. For South Asians navigating that on top of family expectations, a show where the purpose is explicit and the vibe is fun is a welcome change.
Waitlist is open. Auckland is our primary New Zealand target. or apply to be a contestant.
Auckland is desi New Zealand and desi New Zealand has no scene
Auckland holds the overwhelming majority of New Zealand's Indian and South Asian population, layered between Sandringham's established community strip, Papatoetoe and Manukau's family suburbs and a young professional crowd in the CBD's towers. The community's institutions are strong, the singles offering is nil and the alternative scene is a four hour flight to Sydney.
The first show here is a national event by definition. When the whole country's desi scene has one room for one night, the room writes itself into community history.
What a Garam Masala night in Auckland looks like
A med school registrar and a Sandringham-raised engineer who have never met, on stage, going on a first date while Aotearoa's whole desi scene reacts in one room. Comedian hosts, live votes and a K Road mixer with harbour air and no last-train anxiety.
to bring the show across the Tasman, or apply to be a contestant and become New Zealand desi history.
No Auckland dates are live yet. The show tours nationally and sells out every stop. Watch full episodes while we make our way to you!
Watch Full Episodes on YouTube Follow on InstagramHelp bring us to Auckland! Everyone on the list gets first access when tickets drop.
See All Upcoming ShowsStay in the Loop
Get notified about future Auckland shows, discount codes, and free ticket drops.
Add your number for text-only discounts and free ticket drops.
You're on the list!
Questions About Auckland Shows
When is Garam Masala Dating coming to Auckland?
Auckland is our primary New Zealand target. to be the first to know when we announce dates.
Is the Auckland show open to all South Asians or just Indians?
The show welcomes everyone in the South Asian community and anyone interested in dating within it. Sri Lankan, Nepali, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indo-Kiwi singles are all welcome.
Can I apply to be a contestant on stage?
Yes. Use the apply link on this page to submit your application. Auckland is our primary New Zealand target so early applications from Sandringham, Papatoetoe, and the wider metro get noticed first.
Is there Indian speed dating in Auckland?
Aotearoa's largest desi community has community events, temple calendars and nothing singles-first. New Zealand's first desi dating show starts in Auckland because everything in New Zealand desi life starts in Auckland.
Where do South Asian singles in Auckland actually meet?
Sandringham and Papatoetoe community life, the university and med school circles, tech offices around the CBD and each other's flat viewings, given the housing market. One intentional room beats all of it.
Would the show pull from Hamilton and beyond?
For the country's first desi singles night, yes. Hamilton is 90 minutes away and the rest of the North Island's desi crowd already treats Auckland as its capital of everything.
From the Journal
Also coming to: Wellington , Christchurch , Sydney , Melbourne , Fiji