29 August 2014 - As the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand continues to engage and collaborate closely with authorities from the Philippines and New Zealand in promoting and protecting the interests and welfare of Filipino workers, Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Virginia H. Benavidez met with Visa Services Marketing Manager Michelle Frankham and Immigration New Zealand (INZ), Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Manila Branch Immigration Manager Philip Sinclair assigned at the New Zealand Embassy in Manila on August 4.
They discussed the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) developments in New Zealand with the increasing influx of temporary skilled workers in the dairy and the Christchurch rebuild and reconstruction sectors, the opportunities and challenges encountered and various ways and measures to address their concerns and problems. Ms. Frankham and Mr. Sinclair provided updates on the holding of a Training for Trainors starting August 8 for officials of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) who will be conducting Pre Departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS) specific to Filipino workers bound for New Zealand.
On August 5, Ambassador Benavidez met with the officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) led by Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac together with Deputy Administrator for Licensing and Adjudication Jesus Gabriel C. Domingo and Pre Employment Services Director Nini A. Lanto, and extensive discussions focused on immediate actions and subsequent steps to be undertaken in cooperation with Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and MBIE officials on matters concerning recruitment, employment, and deployment of Filipino skilled workers to New Zealand.
There have been continuing meetings and collaboration among DOLE, POEA, OWWA, MBIE, the Philippine Embassy in Wellington, the New Zealand Embassy in Manila, relevant authorities and various stakeholders, and specific cooperative arrangements and projects under the 2008 Philippines-New Zealand Memorandum of Agreement on Labor Cooperation which are expected to be implemented soon. END