McCully names new Ambassador to Jakarta

New Zealand's next Ambassador to Indonesia will be career diplomat David Taylor, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said.


"Indonesia is an important partner for New Zealand, both bilaterally and as a leading democracy in South East Asia, and we need to continue to strengthen our growing, broad-based relationship," Mr McCully said.


"Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, and it plays a key role in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), regional, and global affairs. It is also an emerging market of considerable size, and expanding trade links in recent years has seen it become our seventh largest export market worldwide.


"New Zealand and Indonesia work together on many issues, including regional security and disaster risk management, and we look forward to collaborating with Indonesia as a founding member of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Emissions," Mr McCully said.


In Jakarta, Mr Taylor will also serve as New Zealand's Ambassador to the Association of South East Asian Nations, which plays a crucial role in political, economic and security developments in the Asia-Pacific region.


Mr Taylor is currently director of Americas Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and has previously served as Ambassador to Korea, and been posted to Kuala Lumpur, Washington, and Suva.


He takes up his assignment in April, replacing Phillip Gibson.