New Trade Commissioner for Indonesia

Trade Minister Tim Groser welcomes the announcement of the appointment of Tim Anderson as Trade Commissioner to Indonesia.

“This appointment will assist in taking New Zealand’s relationship with Indonesia to the next level. With 240 million people, Indonesia has the world’s fourth largest population and is the largest economy in the region, accounting for over one third of ASEAN’s GDP. It is expected to be one of the world’s top 10 economies by 2030,” Mr Groser says.

“Tim will play a pivotal role in developing and expanding our business relations with Indonesia. A significant aspect of his role will be to support New Zealand business as Indonesia moves from a commodity-based economy to one that is based on more value-added industries.”

Mr Anderson joins New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) from Wellington commercial law firm, Gibson Sheat, where he was a partner.

Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, Mr Anderson has been actively involved in Indonesia since 1993 having worked there as a business adviser and also through his role with Gibson Sheat.

He is a member of the ASEAN-NZ Business Council and the NZ Indonesia Association and is on the steering committee of the NZ-Indonesia Friendship Council.

Mr Anderson, who will be based in Jakarta, will commence his posting in January 2013.

This appointment brings the number of Trade Commissioners in the ASEAN region to six: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Previously one Trade Commissioner covered Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.