On 20 October 2026, Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Deputy Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), welcomed Ms. Joanna Anderson, New Zealand Ambassador to ASEAN, during a courtesy call. Also in attendance were Ms. Chidchanok Malayawong, Director of Development Promotion and Coordination Division, and relevant officers, at TICA.

Both sides discussed about policies and the strategic direction for development cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion, Southeast Asia, ASEAN, and the Pacific Islands. The Ambassador briefed TICA on the establishment of the "ASEAN-New Zealand Vision Fund"—a five-year, 25-million-USD initiative for ASEAN member states. Both sides agreed on the mutual key areas for potential subregional cooperation, including artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, climate change, food security, and renewable energy.

On this occasion, the Deputy Director-General of TICA invited the New Zealand side to explore the possibility of engaging in trilateral cooperation. This includes cooperation through the Mekong Institute (MI). TICA expressed appreciation to New Zealand for increasing the number of short-term training scholarships, as well as master’s and doctoral degree scholarships, for Thailand—to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and New Zealand in 2026.