ilateral trade between New Zealand and Indonesia is growing in a more balanced way and should increase in the coming years says New Zealand Ambassador to Jakarta Philip Taula.
“It is definitely growing. It is about NZ$4 billion [US$2.34 billion] per year at the moment,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a Matariki Maori New Year dinner event in Jakarta on June 30.
“It is quite balanced. The total value is about NZ$2 billion from New Zealand and about NZ$2 billion from Indonesia if you include services, including tourism.”
Taula said both countries had agreed to reach a target of NZ$6 billion by 2029.
“I think we are on track, but we still need to keep working on it.”
Matariki refers to the Pleiades star cluster. Rising in the southern hemisphere’s mid-winter night sky in late June or early July, its appearance marks the beginning of the New Year in the traditional Maori lunar calendar, the Maramataka.
“Matariki offers an opportunity to reflect on the past, celebrate the present and look forward to the future with hope” Taula said.