New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is coming for an official visit tomorrow, Thursday, to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., outgoing New Zealand Ambassador Peter Francis Tavita Kell said on Wednesday.
"(Luxon) has been very clear that he wants to come to the Philippines. He knows the Philippines as you've explained. And he knows that it's important," Kell told Marcos during his farewell call in Malacañang on Wednesday.
"And he knows what you're trying to do and he wants to support. Having --- putting it simply and so… his mission is to show the rest of his delegation [the] 25 tops business leaders. They should be doing more in this part of the world, they should be doing more in the Philippines," he added.
His visit will highlight the two countries' commitment to stronger ties as they move towards the 60th commemoration in 2026 of the establishment of their bilateral relations.
The New Zealand envoy said his tenure was briefly extended for the visit of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Manila, who is bringing with him New Zealand's top business leaders.
Kell, who learned Filipino while in the country, said he is confident that he'll leave his post with the Philippine-New Zealand relations stronger than ever.
"I have a strong confidence that I will leave here with a solid connection between New Zealand and the Philippines," Kell said.
"So here (...) I would really like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you. I am sincerely thankful for your support, for your assistance to our country, and to strengthen the relationship between New Zealand and the Philippines," Kell added.
As a response, President Marcos expressed gratitude to Kell for his initiatives in the last four years to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and New Zealand.
The Philippines-New Zealand formal diplomatic relations span 57 years since its establishment on 6 July 1966.
Last year, New Zealand ranked as the Philippines' 28th trading partner (out of 230) with total trade amounting to US$495.37 million.
It is the country's 38th export destination and 24th import source.
The Philippines has a US$361.94 million trade deficit with New Zealand.
In terms of tourism, a total of 29,272 tourist arrivals from New Zealand were recorded in 2023, up from just 17,503 in 2022, making New Zealand the 22nd source of visitors to the Philippines.
Pending the results of the 2023 NZ Census on 29 May 2024, there are an estimated 79,998 Filipinos in New Zealand (72,612 based on the 2018 NZ Census, from only 40,347 in 2013 and 16,938 in 2006).
