Ambassador and High Commissioner appointments Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia

New Ambassador to the Philippines announced

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced diplomat David Strachan as New Zealand’s new Ambassador to the Philippines.

“The Philippines market is important for New Zealand. Last year New Zealand exported over $750 million of goods to the Philippines, and it is one of New Zealand's top five markets for dairy products,” Mr McCully says.

“The trade and economic relationship is underpinned by the ASEAN-New Zealand-Australia Free Trade Agreement, a high quality agreement making trade and investment easier for businesses on both sides.

“Filipino skilled migrants also play an important role in the New Zealand economy by working on the rebuild of Christchurch, in the dairy industry, and the health care sector. More than 40,000 Filipinos are now living in New Zealand, making it the largest community from any ASEAN nation.

“New Zealand was one of the many countries to offer help in the face of devastating typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines last November and we will continue to support the Philippines as the country rebuilds,” Mr McCully says.

Mr Strachan is currently Ambassador to Egypt and has previously served in Jakarta, Seoul, Port Moresby and Kuala Lumpur.

New High Commissioner to Malaysia

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today named diplomat John Subritzky as New Zealand’s new High Commissioner to Malaysia, to be based in Kuala Lumpur.

“Malaysia is an important political, trade and economic partner for New Zealand. It is our seventh-largest trading partner, with total goods trade exceeding $3 billion annually,” Mr McCully says.

“Malaysia and New Zealand also have close education links, with many New Zealand universities having formal agreements with Malaysian education providers. There were more than 1,800 Malaysian students studying in New Zealand in 2013.

“Malaysia is a key strategic partner for New Zealand. We are both members of the Five Power Defence Arrangement, which is the cornerstone of New Zealand’s defence and security engagement in the region. Our two countries’ defence forces work well together in multinational peace-keeping operations, most recently in Bamyan province, Afghanistan.

“Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of New Zealand’s formal relationship with ASEAN, and as next year’s Chair of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit Malaysia will play a key role as we seek to celebrate this important relationship,” Mr McCully says.

The High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is also accredited to Brunei.

Dr Subritzky has previously been posted to Jakarta and New Delhi and more recently was Director of the Chief Executive’s Office in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

New Ambassador to Indonesia announced

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today named career diplomat Trevor Matheson as New Zealand’s new Ambassador to Indonesia.

“Indonesia is the largest country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and, with a population of more than 250 million, strong economic growth and a growing consumer population, it is also an important market for New Zealand companies,” Mr McCully says.

“There is potential for huge growth in our trading relationship which is helped by the ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand Free Trade Area agreement which entered into force in 2012.

“New Zealand and Indonesia cooperate closely on political, economic and security issues. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, the third-largest democracy, and has strong influence in the Southeast Asian region.

“New Zealand’s aid and development programme with Indonesia is the largest with any country outside of the Pacific, and the programme’s focus on areas such as renewable energy, disaster risk management, agriculture, and human resource development draws on areas of New Zealand expertise,” Mr McCully says.

Dr Matheson is currently New Zealand’s Ambassador to Italy, and has had previous postings in Riyadh, Rarotonga, Canberra and Geneva.

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