New Zealand and the Philippines on Tuesday formalized their comprehensive partnership, set to allow the two countries to deepen engagement in various areas of cooperation, including trade and security.

Visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro announced the elevation of relations on the sidelines of the Philippine-hosted Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meetings.

“New Zealand and the Philippines are close friends and trusted partners on the world stage – and today we turn this friendship into concrete action,” Peters said.

“Elevating our relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership signals the importance we place on working together to support a stable, rules-based Indo-Pacific,” he added.

In a bilateral meeting, the two top diplomats launched the “roadmap” that sets out the four focus areas of cooperation under the elevated ties, which include the development of political engagement; defense, security, and maritime cooperation; trade and economic ties; and people-to-people links.

“The Philippines is a dynamic partner in Southeast Asia – a regional powerhouse of 113 million people, and one of the region’s fastest-growing economies,” Peters said.

“This year, New Zealand and the Philippines are also celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations – making this a timely moment to elevate our relationship,” he added.

Under the roadmap, the two states agreed to achieve a mutually beneficial 50 percent increase in two-way trade by 2030 through various initiatives, including the implementation of the Specific Commodity Understanding (SCU) for the export of New Zealand onions to the Philippines and the Export Plan for fresh fruit and vegetables from the Philippines to New Zealand.

The document also outlines the two nations’ plan to establish a policy exchange mechanism on export capabilities in the Philippine agricultural sector and to develop, before September 2026, a framework for climate cooperation.

At the conclusion of their meeting, Peters and Lazaro also signed two new agreements on education and geothermal energy cooperation to give effect to the Comprehensive Partnership. (PNA)