Welcome

The South Island as a Virtual Presence Post

Map of the South Island.

The Virtual Consulate, or Virtual Presence Post (VPP), is a new tool of U.S. diplomacy in the 21st Century. Virtual Consulates are vehicles that promote interaction between the citizens of a foreign city or region and citizens of the United States.

We would like to welcome you to the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to New Zealand’s website for our Virtual Presence Post in the South Island.  Over the years the U.S. Mission has had an intermittent presence in the South Island, not only having a Consular Agent representing the U.S. Government, but for some years it also had a United States Information Service (USIS) library in Christchurch.

In many countries the move to Virtual Presence Posts, rather than opening new traditional consulates in various cities, serves as recognition of the importance of a presence. The South Island is one of many such outreach efforts by the U.S. Government.

While the U.S. Mission in New Zealand is heavily invested in regular outreach activities to cities beyond the Embassy and Consulate, with changes to visa and immigration procedures and the fact that visa applicants are now required to travel to Auckland to obtain visas (if their travel does not fall within the parameters of the Visa Waiver program), we hope that this Virtual Consulate will help South Islanders find a wealth of useful information about the United States, including how to apply for a U.S. visa and how to participate in U.S. programs and activities.

The United States Mission to New Zealand has launched this website within the environment of geographic, political, and public diplomacy challenges. The goal is to decentralize and reinforce our regional presence by providing greater focus to, and organization of, our engagement outside our Mission buildings.

Americans interested in the South Island will find useful links to local government, business and commercial information, educational and cultural activities, and other useful information. As part of the Virtual Consulate, programs on a variety of topics will be presented by members of the U.S. Mission to New Zealand and visitors from the United States.