Latest news with #CatherineMcIntosh
GMA Network
27-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
New Zealand praises OFW contributions to Kiwi society, community
Filipinos have been making significant contributions to the economy and society in New Zealand, the country's ambassador to the Philippines said Tuesday. 'What I am aware of to date is the incredible contribution that Filipino workers are making to both New Zealand's economy and our society, in terms of just what great people they are to have in our country, great workers, always happy, always willing,' New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Catherine McIntosh said at a media event in Makati City. McIntosh, who spoke recently with Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac, added that Filipinos are active in New Zealand's healthcare, construction, IT, and dairy industries. In particular, she highlighted Filipino workers who helped rebuild communities after the deadly Christchurch earthquake in 2011. McIntosh added that during the meeting between New Zealand Minister of Defense Judith Collins and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in April, the former extended her thanks for the growing contributions made by Filipinos. 'From 2001, it was just 10,000 [Filipinos in New Zealand], and by 2023, when we conducted our census, it had grown to 108,000 Filipinos in New Zealand, so [there was] a significant increase,' McIntosh said. 'The Minister actually commented on that it's not just that Filipinos integrate well into our communities, they enhance the communities that they belong to,' she added. McIntosh and Cacdac also discussed joint labor committee meetings, refreshed key and bilateral agreements, improved cooperation between the two countries, and better provisions for Filipino migrant workers in New Zealand. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
27-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
New Zealand increases PH Manaaki postgraduate scholarship slots to 44
The Manaaki scholarship program is "a core part" of New Zealand's development cooperation program in the Philippines, Ambassador Dr. Catherine McIntosh (center) said on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/GMA Integrated News The New Zealand Embassy will be increasing the Philippines' slots for the New Zealand Manaaki Scholarship Programme to 44, up from 16 in 2023. In a media roundtable event at Makati City on Tuesday, New Zealand Ambassador Dr. Catherine McIntosh explained that the Manaaki program was the country's investment in people to 'build a sustainable future' for the Philippines. 'It's a core part of our development cooperation program here in the Philippines, that we're wanting to invest in people who are passionate about returning to the Philippines and reinvesting in their communities, in their towns, and in skills that match the human resource and development needs of the Philippines,' said McIntosh. Most of the previous Manaaki slots have been granted to students from Mindanao, a 'priority region' for New Zealand. The new mandate for an increase in slots was part of New Zealand government's efforts in late 2023 to boost foreign relations with Southeast Asia. 'It is very much part of the uplift in our cooperation and partnership with Southeast Asian countries, key countries like the Philippines, both from a foreign policy perspective but also the development outcomes we're wanting to seek together,' McIntosh said. Aspiring Manaaki scholars would have to undergo a rigorous and competitive application process in which they would be assessed based on leadership potential, development impact, academic merit, region, and focal courses. After graduation, Manaaki scholars would have to return to the country through applications of 'renewable energy, good governance, climate, resilience, food security and renewable energy' for two years. Scholars would then have the option to pursue continue their careers or academic journey in New Zealand, or remain in the country. 'It's really building on New Zealand's strengths and then matching how young people can serve their communities… More than academic merit and then their articulation skills, the narrative by which their scholarship can read down to their communities is a very important narrative for the New Zealand Scholarship Program,' said New Zealand International Development Cooperation Manila Manager Dyan Mabunga Rodriguez. — BM, GMA Integrated News
