WELLINGTON 25 February 2026 - The Philippine Embassy in New Zealand successfully held its annual General Assembly with the Filipino community in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga on 25 February 2026 via the Zoom platform. The 3rd Filipino Community General Assembly brought together community leaders, organization representatives, and individual members in the countries under the Embassy’s jurisdiction.

The annual Filipino Community General Assembly is a flagship initiative of the Embassy, anchored on its commitment to accountability, transparency, and meaningful engagement to the Filipino community, one of its most important stakeholders. The General Assembly is the Embassy’s primary platform to apprise the community of its accomplishments and its priority programs and key initiatives for the year ahead and to address issues that concern them.

In her welcome remarks, Ambassador Kira Christianne D. Azucena recognized the Filipino community as one of the Embassy’s most important stakeholders and valued partners. She underscored the vital role that Filipinos play in promoting Philippine interests and fostering goodwill in their host countries. Ambassador Azucena also conveyed her appreciation for the community’s continued support of the Embassy’s programs and expressed optimism for an even stronger and more sustained partnership in the years ahead.

The Assembly featured presentations on the Embassy’s accomplishments in political, economic, cultural, Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN), and consular services initiatives. The Embassy also highlighted its lined-up projects for 2026, which aim to further strengthen bilateral engagements, enhance cultural diplomacy initiatives and improve service delivery to broaden community engagement.

An open forum followed the presentation, providing participants the opportunity to raise questions and share insights. END