The Consulate of the Republic of Serbia, headed by Honorary Consul Stevan Berber, was established in Auckland, New Zealand, on 8 February.

The ceremony of unveiling the Consulate nameplate and hoisting the flag of the Republic of Serbia was attended by Simon Tucker, Director of Auckland Office of New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, consuls and honorary consuls seated in Auckland, members of the Serbian community and the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in New Zealand, including representatives of academic and business communities.



Honorary Consul Stevan Berber underlined in his speech the commitment to promote the bilateral relations between Serbia and New Zealand. The Honorary Consul stated that the priority of his work would be to improve the status and cater to the needs of the Serbian community and Serbian nationals in New Zealand, and to support specific projects in the fields of education and scientific-technical cooperation.



Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Australia Miroljub Petrovic recalled the long history of diplomatic and consular relations between Serbia and New Zealand, noting that the first Consulate of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was established in Auckland, on 6 July 1922, and that the relations between the two countries had been enhanced in many areas, ever since.



Professor Robert Greenberg, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Auckland University, a linguist dealing with language–nation relationship issues in the former Yugoslavia, expressed his readiness to promote cooperation between higher education institutions in Serbia and New Zealand.



In the period ahead, the Serbian Embassy in Australia, in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Sydney, will devote particular attention to the development and coordination of activities with the Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in Auckland, New Zealand, and the previously established Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in Perth, Western Australia.