A mobile consular team of the Philippine Embassy in Wellington successfully rendered a five-day consular services outreach mission in Rangiora, Waimakariri District, in the South Island of New Zealand, on 9-13 September 2016. Held at the Rangiora Town Hall, the outreach processed a total of 903 transactions comprising passport renewals/applications, civil registration (reports of births and marriages), notarial services, fingerprinting for National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) forms, and Philippine citizenship retention/re-acquisition application and oath-taking.

The Filipino community members in Rangiora, Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Queenstown, Gore, Invercargill and other areas in the South Island greatly appreciated this undertaking as it provided them access to the Philippine Embassy’s services without travelling further to Wellington in the North Island.

Facilities for the mission were provided by the Mayor of the Waimakariri District, His Worship David Ayers, and coordinated by Mr. Roberto Bolanos, head of the Alpha Phi Omega South Island Alumni Association (APOSIAA). Filipino community volunteers assisting the mission were led by Mr. Johnatan Madera of the Filipino Dairy Workers in New Zealand (FDWNZ) and Mr. Alfie Alojado, Jr. of the Aotearoa-Filipino Business Club (AFBC).

Details of the next mobile consular mission will be posted on the Philippine Embassy website (www.philembassy.org.nz) and on Facebook (Philippine Embassy - Wellington, New Zealand).