ANZAS Becomes AACC Pacific Northwest

Having served the greater Seattle Australian and New Zealand expat community for over 40 years, we are excited to announce that we are formally joining the Australian American Chamber of Commerce and will be rebranding ourselves as the AACC Pacific Northwest.

Our journey started way back in 1982, as the Australian New Zealand American Society (ANZAS) in Seattle, helping serve our Australian expat community through social events at gatherings, ANZAC services, and BBQs. Over the many years, we have gotten to meet and know many Aussies who have formed part of our family over the many years.

While we are changing our name, we won’t be changing how we serve our community, and will continue to share in the holidays and social events just like old times.

As we look to the future, by joining forces with the Australian Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco, Houston, and Denver, we will be collaborating more closely with our sister chapters to build a stronger professional presence, where we will host professional events and galas, engage small and large businesses in the Seattle area, and support our Aussie community in consular services. We will petition to get a greater consular presence in Seattle over time and with your support.

We are also guided by the results of a survey we recently commissioned to our existing members and broader Australian community, on how best to serve the interests of our community. You can find the results here.

I know you may have heaps of questions, so please read our frequently asked questions section below. If you still have questions, please contact us, tweet to us, or ask us on Facebook.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will AACC continue to provide social events in Seattle like we did in the past?
   Yes. We will always continue to provide social events, BBQs, and celebrate Australian holidays.

2. Why disband ANZAS?
   As we re-emerge out of the pandemic, we wanted to rebrand and reinvigorate our association, and more importantly, look to the future as we expand our presence here. While we will always cater to our valuable members from ANZAS, we will also look to providing more consular support for Australians in Seattle, as well as a professionals network. By formally joining the Australian Chamber of Commerce, we are now also part of a larger family of Australian associations around the country, from San Francisco to Houston, and through a more collaborative national approach, hope to provide greater services and events in the near future.

3. When will we start to see professional events?
   We are aiming to kick that off in early 2023.

4. Will AACC still continue its relationship with the New Zealand community (Christchurch sister-city organization)?
   Yes. We will still maintain our strong long-term bond with the organization, and look to joint events such as ANZAC Day.

5. What is happening with membership dues?
   We won’t be charging any membership dues for 2022. Next year we will be offering multiple types of memberships, to help us cater to events you would like to see.

6. Are there any ways in which I could get involved?
   Yes. We are looking for both volunteers to help run sub-committees, as well as new board members. For more information, see Get Involved.