10 November 2015 - The Heads of Mission of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee in Wellington (ACW), New Zealand, namely Indonesian Ambassador Jose Antonio Morato Tavares, Malaysian High Commissioner Dato’ Lim Kim Eng, Singapore High Commissioner Bernard Baker, Thai Ambassador Maris Sangiampongsa, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Viet Dung, Chargé d'Affaires Arlene Gonzales-Macaisa of the Philippine Embassy in Wellington jointly organized the ASEAN Film Festival 2015 which was held at the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand from October 31 to November 01. The Film Festival is part of the year-long celebration for the 40th Anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue Partnership.
A special reception was held to highlight the opening of the ASEAN Film Festival 2015 on the first day of the Festival. Mr. Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Councilor of Wellington City Council, and Dr. Arapata Hakiwai, Te Papa’s Kaihautu (Maori Leader) were the special guests for the occasion. The ASEAN Heads of Mission played host to some 100 guests from the diplomatic corps, host government officials, business, think tanks, academic leaders, and friends of ASEAN.
The ASEAN Heads of Mission also awarded the winners of the ASEAN Essay Writing Competition which was launched by the ACW in July 2015 as one of the projects for the year-long celebration of the 40th Anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand relations. The contest was open to students enrolled in Years 10 to 13 in New Zealand colleges for the School Year 2015 – 2016. The students were asked to write about ASEANrelated issues under the theme “ASEAN and New Zealand Partnership: The Way Forward”. Mr. Andrew McNaughton from Wellington College, Ms. Edie Benie from the Otago Girls’ High School in Dunedin, and Mr. Marc Christopher Sumadi from Awatapu College in Palmerston North won the first, second, and third places for the contest, respectively.
Guests also enjoyed the traditional and authentic ASEAN delicacies contributed by each ASEAN Diplomatic Mission during the reception. The ASEAN Heads of Mission invited guests to experience ASEAN culture by viewing the six ASEAN films especially chosen for the public’s viewing pleasure during the Festival. END