PH Embassy Delivers a Thousand Consular Services in New Zealand’s North Island

One of the early birds on Saturday morning receives guidance in accomplishing his passport application and overseas voting registration forms.

WELLINGTON 25 April 2018 – A five-member Philippine Embassy team went on a four-day consular outreach mission in Tauranga from 12 to 15 April, delivering more than a thousand individual services to the Filipino community. Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand’s North Island and is the country’s fifth largest metropolis.

Filipinos from the neighbouring regions of Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Manawatu-Wanganui, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne also availed themselves of the mobile services held at the Historic Village.

Out of the total, 466 services were for passport renewal, 362 for Overseas Voting Registration (OVR).

50 New Zealand immigrants who qualified under the criteria set forth in Republic Act No. 9225, otherwise known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003, were administered the Oath of Allegiance or Panunumpa ng Katapatan.

Other services provided were for notarial (76), civil registry (26), and NBI fingerprinting and certification (23).

The consular outreach was conducted pursuant to the DFA policy of bringing the Embassy’s services closer to Filipino nationals in New Zealand and the Embassy’s other countries of jurisdiction. The mission provided as well, an opportunity for the Embassy to personally clarify consular policies and procedures, and strengthen its links with the Filipino community.

The mission greatly benefitted from the support of highly-capable volunteers from the local Filipino community who kindly contributed their time and effort to help the applicants. END

Applicants being processed for passport enrollment and overseas voting registration.

Filipino immigrants in New Zealand taking their Oath of Allegiance pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9225, otherwise known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003.

For more information, visit www.wellingtonpe.dfa.gov.ph / www.philembassy.org.nz or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNZ/.