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, Ambassador Virginia H. Benavidez met with Ms. Michelle Frankham, Market Manager, Visa Services, and Mr. Philip Sinclair, Immigration Manager, Manila Branch, Immigration New Zealand (INZ), Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) assigned at the New Zealand Embassy in Manila on 4 August 2014. 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 8 August 2014 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 5 August 2014, 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 Director Nini A. Lanto, Director, Pre Employment Services Office 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 related to recruitment, deployment and employment of Filipino skilled workers to New Zealand.

There have been continuing meetings and collaboration among DOLE, POEA, OWWA, MBIE, Philippine Embassy in Wellington, 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 are expected to be implemented soon.