New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon will make his first official visit outside the region when he travels to Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines next week.
Mr Luxon will lead a trade delegation of Kiwi businesses and meet with political leaders in each country.
"Southeast Asia is a region that is more crucial than ever to our prosperity and our security," Mr Luxon said.
"I look forward to meeting my counterparts and seeing firsthand what more we can do to deepen our relationships."
If taken as one grouping, Southeast Asia is the world's fifth biggest economy.
New Zealand exports to the region were worth $NZ9.1 billion ($A8.3 billion) last year.
Mr Luxon took office last November and to date, has made two trips to Australia; meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Sydney last December and then attending the ASEAN summit last month in Melbourne.
"Continuing to foster our global relationships can only benefit the New Zealand economy and I intend to pursue these relationships in Southeast Asia and around the world," he said.
