Philippines Other Connections

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• Bilateral Linkages
• Other Connections

Philippines Other Connections

Trade and Economic

Dairy products are by far the largest export item to the Philippines and Fonterra has engaged in some joint ventures within the Philippines. New Zealand companies in the Philippines are also involved in energy (eg. Fletchers, Designpower), infrastructure development (eg. Sinclair Knight Merz) and housing construction (eg. Pacific Development). The ANZ bank has one of ten foreign bank licenses. There is however little Philippines investment in New Zealand.

Education

There is a relatively small Filipino full-fee paying student presence in New Zealand. However, NZTE reports growing interest in the Philippines towards New Zealand providers, as Filipinos are becoming increasingly aware of education opportunities available in other English speaking countries outside of the US.

Immigration

Migration of Filipinos to New Zealand has grown over the last decade. The Filipino population in New Zealand is now between 20,000 and 25,000.

Tourism

Although there is growing interest in New Zealand as a tourist destination, the Philippines market is an under-developed one. The lack of direct air links is a disincentive. In 2006, visitor arrivals to New Zealand from the Philippines increased by 16%, the largest percentage increase from South East Asia. In the year to December 2007, there were 8,308 visitor arrivals from the Philippines.