NZ interested in geothermal and animal husbandry projects

Antara News, Mon, April 16 2012

 "For investments there are two sectors that New Zealand is interested in, animal husbandry and geothermal plants."

Related News

• NZ hopes to develop relation with ASEAN

Gita Wirjawan. (ANTARA)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - New Zealand is interested in investing in geothermal and animal husbandry projects in Indonesia, trade minister Gita Wirjawan said.

"For investments there are two sectors that New Zealand is interested in, animal husbandry and geothermal plants," he said during a seminar on business and investments held by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the New Zealand government here on Monday.

The event was also attended by visiting New Zealand prime minister John Key, flanked by trade minister Tim Groser and a 40-member business delegation.

"With regard to animal husbandry, New Zealand has 30 million head of cattle and 40 million sheep, while its population is only 4.5 millions. So there is a lot of added value that they could give us," he said.

Gita who is also head of the Capital Investment Board, said New Zealand`s businessmen have been positive about the investment potential in the animal husbandry sector, not only in cattle breeding but also processed cattle products.

"New Zealand is also interested in geothermal development projects because that country is, like Indonesia, located in the ring of fire and so they are interested in Indonesia, which has 40 percent of the world`s geothermal total reserves," he said.

Gita added that New Zealand also has skills in processing geothermal energy, as some experts in the field also joined the prime minister`s delegation.

He said, however, he could not as yet tell about the value of their investment. "But I think it will be quite big. For cattle development the investment is expected to be realized this year, while for geothermal projects, further study is needed.

With regard to trade between the two countries, the minister admitted it was still very small, only US$1.1 billion.

"The government is making efforts to see trade between the two countries reach minimally one percent of the two countries` total gross domestic product. The two countries` GDPs total US$1.2 trillion and so one percent of that is US$12 billion. As it is now still recorded at US$1.1 billion, it means a lot of work still has to be done," he said.

Indonesia export products to New Zealand include textile, garments, agricultural and animal husbandry materials.

"Indonesia, meanwhile, imports a lot of processed milk, which is their main export. We now still suffer a deficit of between US$100 million and US$200 million in our trade with New Zealand, but hope with the ratification of the ASEAN-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement early this year that conditions would become more equal," he said.

The FTA has been considered mutually beneficial because, the minister said, under it Indonesia could export more goods and services to New Zealand.

According to data from the New Zealand government, Indonesia is the world`s tenth largest export market for that country and the largest market in Southeast Asia.

New Zealand`s exports to Indonesia reach 870 million New Zealand dollars, and imports from Indonesia total 704 million dollars.

Total bilateral trade between the two countries has reached 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars.

New Zealand`s main exports to Indonesia in 2011 were food and drink, including milk, cream milk, cheese and butter, amounting to 60.9 percent of its total exports worth 521.3 million New Zealand dollars.

Cooperation between the two countries in geothermal projects began in 1982 when New Zealand`s then prime minister, Robert Muldoon, and president Soeharto opened the first geothermal project in the country in Kamojang.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Related Articles:

Indonesia provides geothermal opportunity

New Zealand`s milk producer to build plant in Indonesia

Indonesian students have widest opportunities in New Zealand universities

Antara News, Fri, June 17 2011

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesian students have wider opportunities to study at various universities in New Zealand, an Indonesian official said here on Thursday.

Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Antonius Agus Triyono said many leading universities there offer wide opportunities for Indonesian students to study so long as they meet the admission requirements.

"There is no limit so long as they meet the admission requirements," Antonius said, adding that the universities in New Zealand are interested in more foreign students, especially from Indonesia.

According to him, there are more Malaysian and Vietnamese students there than those from Indonesia, and therefore he encouraged Indonesian students to study in the neighboring country.

"My job is to encourage as many Indonesian students as possible to study at New Zealand`s universities because the situation and the quality of education there is very good," Antonius said after a meeting with South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

The Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand met with the South Sulawesi governor to convey the offer of cooperation in education from Massey University.

Antonius said the university was offering three schemes of cooperation in diploma three program for nursing education with the students from South Sulawesi.

The cooperation was then signed by the South Sulawesi governor with first scheme is for the students who have finished the second year of nursing school in Makassar can continue the third year at Massey University in New Zealand and then to have an opportunity to work there for one to two years.

"The second scheme covers nursing students exchange program and the third is "sandwich program" or postgraduate program," said the Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand.

Editor: Bambang

Int’l medical team provides free services

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon | Sat, 07/31/2010 11:48 AM

Medical teams from various countries collaborated in the 2010 Pacific Partnership Mission to provide free medical services to thousands of coastal residents in Maluku.

The humanitarian mission was carried out for three days from July 27 in a number of locations in the region. It was part of the Sail Banda event, which will be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono on Aug. 3.

More than 17,000 people received health services, said Pacific Partnership Mission Commander Capt. Lisa M. Franchetti. Around 105 doctors were involved in the mission, consisting of 40 doctors manning onshore health posts and 65 doctors aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship.

“Medical examinations and treatment are conducted at the health posts on land as well as aboard the USNS Mercy,” Franchetti told The Jakarta Post at a health post in Pelauw village, Haruku Island, on Thursday.

More than 10 health posts have been set up on Seram, Ambon and Haruku islands to support the

program. To reach posts outside Ambon city, medical teams and logistics were airlifted by two helicopters on stand-by aboard the USNS Mercy.

“The most common sickness is sore eyes. More than 500 patients come each day to have their eyes treated. Besides medicine, we also provide eyeglasses. Many of the residents also complain about internal illnesses and a number of common ailments,” Franchetti said.

Ailments requiring surgery on board the USNS Mercy include kidney problems, prostate cancer, hernia and cleft palate, Franchetti said.

Members of the medical team on board the USNS Mercy are able to perform between 150 and 200 surgeries daily, while the on-land health posts provide medical treatment for common ailments, such as sore eyes, toothaches, internal diseases and skin ailments.

The medical workers mark the patients with colored wrist bands according to their ailments, such as red for sore eyes, purple for toothaches and yellow for common

illnesses.

Data on patients and their ailments are recorded on computers using the Civil Humanitarian Information Management Expeditionary System (CHIMES).

“We will give this data to the Maluku governor after our mission in Maluku is over, and we will also submit it to the Health Ministry,” Franchetti said.

Besides the presence of the USNS Mercy from the US, a number of countries have also dispatched hospital ships. Singapore deployed its RSS Endevour, while Australia contributed the services of two heavy landing craft (HLC) — HMAS Labuan (L128) and HMAS Tarakan (L129).

Other countries taking part in the program include Canada, Cambodia, New Zealand, the UK and Indonesia. As many as 17 international relief organizations also took part in the mission by sending activists and relief aid.

RI signs bilateral funding agreements

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/13/2010 8:53 PM

While the pledges for huge amounts made at multilateral talks remain to be seen, Indonesia has signed a number of bilateral agreements with richer nations to get climate funding — mostly in forest-related areas.

State Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta argued that the bilateral deals were currently the faster way to get climate funding.

“But, even without their money Indonesia will go ahead to protect the planet,” Hatta told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

“It is our moral responsibility to tackle climate change for the sake of our people.”

He also insisted that bilateral agreements would not ruin ongoing multilateral talks on climate change after the Copenhagen conference failed to hammer out a binding agreement on emissions cuts and climate funding.

After the Copenhagen meeting Indonesia signed MoUs on climate change issues with the governments of Australia, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Norway, New Zealand and the United States.

The Australian government has provided A$30 million (US$27.74 million) to fund a Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) project in Jambi, which is scheduled to begin in January.

Jambi’s forests are estimated to cover around 2.1 million hectares.

It also channeled A$40 million to another REDD project in Central Kalimantan in 2009.

RI geothermal investment opportunities offered to NZ

Antara news, Saturday, November 14, 2009 22:03 WIB

Singapore (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has offered investment opportunities in the geothermal field to New Zealand to develop environmentally-friendly energy based on the "green growth" principle.

Industry Minister MS Hidayat said here on Saturday that the offer was made at a bilateral meeting between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at the Gemini Room of the Marina Mandarin Hotel in Singapore in the run-up to the 17th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

"New Zealand has geothermal technology and therefore we discussed it with Prime Minister John Key," Hidayat said after accompanying President Yudhoyono at the bilateral meeting.

He said that after the meeting with John Key, President Yudhoyono gave directives to related ministers to emphasize on several cooperations with various countries, including New Zealand, which has competence in the geothermal energy field.

"We offered geothermal investment opportunities to New Zealand," Hidayat said, adding that to develop geothermal energy, the government should immediately issue a relevant pricing policy so that the investors who had interest in it could calculate the continuation of the investment in that field.

"If the price is commercially reasonable, the investors can continue to invest but if it isn`t, they would not dare to do so," Hidayat said.

Asked about New Zealand`s reaction to the offer, Hidayat said Prime Minister John Key asked Indonesia to decide the kind of geothermal development and then the New Zealand government would encourage private parties in the country to explore it in Indonesia.

"We have yet to touch on the value because we have yet to offer it specifically. We only said we want investment in the geothermal sector," Hidayat said, adding that a similar offer was also made to Japan.

Besides having bilateral talks with the New Zealand prime minister, President Yudhoyono had made a series of bilateral meetings with several heads of state/government, among others with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Chinese President Hu Jintao, and Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.

In the meeting with the New Zealand prime minister, President Yudhoyono was accompanied by among others Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Radjasa, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Industry Minister M Hidayat, and presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal.

Fifteen countries to join Tour of Singkarak cycling race

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 04/02/2009 4:06 PM

Fifteen countries have so far expressed commitment to participate in the Tour of Singkarak 2009 cycling race to be held in West Sumatra April 29 to May 3, 2009.

Culture and tourism ministry's director general Sapta Nirwandar said in Jakarta on Thursday that the countries include New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Iran, Australia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Qatar.

"Around 85 percent of the construction works of new routes for the cycling race has been completed," he said as quoted by Antara state news agency.

Participants of the Tour of Singkarak will cover a total distance of 459 km and compete for a total prize of US$60,000.

The race route is to consist of four segments: Padang-Bukittinggi segment (92.3 km), Bukittinggi-Sawahlunto segment (85.1 km), Sawahlunto-Danau Singkarak segment (90.2 km), and Lake Singkarak- lake Kembar - Lake Singkarak segment (188 km).

The cycling race, which is aimed at promoting tourism in West Sumatra Province, will be accompanied by music concerts, a food festival, and a fun bike event.

West Sumatra Province was visited by a total of 1.4 million tourists, including about 100,000 foreigners, last year, he said.

The province has set a target of receiving at least 1.5 million tourists in 2009.

Here's how we do it

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 03/24/2009 12:55 PM

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) CEO for Asia Pacific Alex Thursby presents the bank's new global brand in Jakarta on Monday. Thursby said ANZ was aiming to be the fourth largest bank in Indonesia by assets by 2012 through its stakes at Panin Bank and ANZ Panin Bank.

"Our retail banking and institutional banking at ANZ Panin has a very clear direction... We own 38 percent of Panin, and as you know they are the *number* seven bank in Indonesia. We believe the two, which go in harmony, will allow us to get to our strategic intent of being, as a banking group, the *number* four player in Indonesia," he said.

ANZ Panin is 85 percent owned by ANZ and 15 percent owned by Panin. ANZ also owns 38.3 percent of Panin.

Thursby also said although bad loans globally would rise this year, Indonesia was now in good position as companies here were "very much underleveraged".

JP/Aditya Suharmoko

Mataram students leave for New Zealand

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 03/21/2009 11:31 AM

Eighteen high school students of Mataram City in West Nusa Tenggara, leaft for in New Zealand on Saturday morning and will stay there for a month as a part of an exchange program.

Mataram mayor M. Ruslan told Antara news agency that the students are expected to spend their time learning everything they can use to make advancement back home.

“New Zealand is well known for its agriculture and farming. You should be able to learn from them,” he told the students during a farewell ceremony.

The students are accompanied by four headmasters of their respective schools. (dre)

Indonesia and Australia to Collaborate in Agriculture

Monday, 23 February, 2009 | 11:41 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Sydney:The Indonesian and Australia governments have agreed to reinforce their trade and investment relations as well as building capacity, especially in the agriculture sector. 

The agreement was achieved in the Eighth Trade Minister Meeting in Sydney, Australia, last week. 

Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu met with Australian Trade Minister, Simon Crean, at the occasion and discussed about improving bilateral relations and investments. 

The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade agreement/FTA was signed last week in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Indonesia and Australia have agreed to build capacity by focusing on the agricultural sector, including improving the beef and dairy product industry, which is in line with Indonesia’s priority in the sector of food security. 

Mari and Crean also received FTA’s final draft on Indonesia-Australia joint feasibility study. 

NIEKE INDRIETTA

Indonesia and Australia go for comprehensive deal

Endy M. Bayuni, THE JAKARTA POST, SYDNEY | Fri, 02/20/2009 8:41 AM  

Australia wants a better investment climate and Indonesia wants assistance with its own production capacity. The two countries have now agreed that both items, along with trade liberalization, would go into the economic agreement that they are working on.

The trade ministers of the two countries concluded on Thursday another round of their meeting

to set up a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which they said would be built into the FTA

that will be signed later this month between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia and New Zealand in Thailand. 

During their joint press conference, Minister Mari Pangestu of Indonesia underlined the importance of capacity building. 

She called it a key component of the future agreement to ensure that the benefits of a better investment climate would also accrue to the recipient country. 

She specifically mentioned Indonesia’s agriculture sector as one potential area where Australia could help in return for the opening up of the dairy and beef sectors to Australian investors. 

Her Australian counterpart Simon Crean underlined the importance of creating the right environment for Australian investors. 

“Investment is the new trade,” he said, pointing at the fact that investment could lead to better access to the global supply chain as well as to markets. 

Indonesia is Australia’s fourth largest trading partner in ASEAN, a rank that prompted Crean to describe a trade relationship that is “underdone” 

Two-way trade in 2007/8 reached A$10.3 billion, according to Australian official figures.

Australian investment in Indonesia was valued at A$3.4 billion at the end of 2007. 

Neither minister was willing to put a time frame on when the comprehensive economic agreement would be signed, in spite of the numerous meetings they have had in the past year. 

Crean however agreed that moving toward more free trade would be the best course to lift countries out of the current economic risis. “Protectionism only invites retaliatory action.” 

Addressing concerns at home about the possible negative impact on Indonesia’s own industry, Mari said the two countries have agreed to put the sensitive sectors as the last to be liberalized under the free trade agreement. 

Indonesia’s dairy and beef sector, she said, would only be liberalized between 2017 and 2020.

The meeting to discuss the bilateral free trade agreement also involved the business community from both sides. 

The trade meeting preceded the Australia-Indonesia Conference which was opened later on Thursday evening by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. 

A total of 120 people, 60 from each side, are taking part in the conference which winds up Saturday.

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Indonesian Health Workers Unable to Fill Overseas Quotas Due to Poor English Skills

The Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita, January 23, 2009 

Despite a strong demand overseas for migrant health workers, Indonesian nurses and caregivers are unable to take advantage of the highly-paid jobs because they lack English skills, an official said on Friday. 

Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, head of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Overseas Labor, or BNP2TKI, said after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the agency and three health academies in Jakarta, that demand from the Asia Pacific, Middle East and United States for Indonesian health workers would continue to rise. 

“The demand for Indonesian nurses and other health care workers is skyrocketing but we cannot adequately respond to it because of a human resource shortage and language problems,” Jumhur said. 

In 2008, Japan offered a 1,000-person quota for Indonesian health workers but Jumhur said that the agency had only been able to send 208 workers. He also said that this year, there were requests from Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, United Sates, Canada, Kuwait and Jordan for Indonesian health workers. 

Jumhur said that from now until 2015, Japan would need 600,000 migrant health workers while Saudi Arabia required 30,000 health workers this year. 

“It’s such a great opportunity for us, but we’ve been hampered by the fact that many of our nurses and caregivers do not speak English or other languages,” he said. 

Jumhur referred to a nursing school in Cirebon, West Java Province, which required its students to learn Japanese. Of the 208 health workers sent to Japan in 2008, 44 of them came from the school. 

“If health academies and foundations provided English lessons, I guarantee that all our nurses and caregivers would be employed,” he said. 

Imam Dahlan, the Ministry of Health’s head of the empowerment center for overseas health workers, said that most Indonesian nurses were highly qualified medically. 

“We don’t really have a problem when it comes to medical skills; the only problem is a lack of language skills,” Imam said. 

In order to capitalize on the demand, this year the BNP2TKI expects to send abroad more skilled labor workers than in 2008, when only 36 percent of the 740,000 migrant workers were skilled. This year Jumhur said the agency expected to increase that figure to 40 percent. 

The BNP2TKI reported that through to 2015, there would be more than 2.85 million job opportunities for nurses in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

New overseas markets for RI can replace falling exports

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta   

While Indonesian exports to traditional markets like the United States, Europe and Japan show some signs of slowing down due to the global financial crisis, buyers from other countries representing potential new non-traditional markets have expressed interest in buying more Indonesian goods. 

Businesspeople from several countries in the region have also expressed willingness to put their money into Indonesia. 

Barry Helberg of the New Zealand Retailers Association and David J. Catty, the director of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and New Zealand Combined Business Council, expressed their amazement during a discussion at the recent 23rd Jakarta International Trade Exhibition, on the quality and design of Indonesian furniture. 

"These are top quality goods. It is the kind of furniture New Zealand top end consumers are looking for," Catty said. 

Barry, meanwhile, expressed his optimism that Indonesia's furniture, footwear and apparel products would be accepted by his country's consumers. 

"You see, New Zealanders, who have money to spend, are placing increased emphasis on quality and durability. I think Indonesian products still have potential to penetrate New Zealand markets," he said. 

Total two-way trade between Indonesia and New Zealand currently reached US$2 billion, the Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Amris Hassan said. 

New Zealand's furniture, apparel and footwear markets, worth a total of $1.4 billion, were dominated by China and Vietnam. Indonesia's total exports to New Zealand for the three sectors was only $30 million last year, he said. 

"How can we lose to Vietnam?. I think we can no longer view New Zealand markets as a leftover from Australia's. That's why we have proposed that we should have our own trade office in Auckland to increase our exports. I will do my utmost to help our businesspeople willing to export their products to the country," he said. 

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's special envoy to the Middle East Alwi Shihab said that there was a surplus of $1.6 trillion among the Middle Eastern countries. Indonesia could look to these countries as markets for its products and also seek to attract investment funds. 

He said that some investors from the Middle East, including the Emar Group and the Capital Investment Group, have now entered Indonesia to set up businesses. 

Alwi said that Emar was ready to build tourism sites worth up to $1 billion in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara while investors from Oman would sign an MOU worth $400 million on a joint investment in an oil and gas field with an Indonesian business group. 

In addition, Capital Investment Group from the United Arab Emirates just launched its branch office in Jakarta, ready to invest in real estate, sea ports and other infrastructure sectors, he said. 

Alwi, however, criticized the country's bureaucrats who have held up permit processes for foreign investment, pointing to the example of a two-year delay in negotiations between investors from Qatar and Bahrain with a local state-owned company. 

Rector of Paramadina University Anies Baswedan said that the crisis had provided momentum for Indonesia to look to alternative markets and sources of investment in Asia and the Middle East to reduce dependence on Western countries and to lessen the negative impact of the financial crisis on Indonesia.

RI explores free trade agreement with Australia, NZ, India

The Jakarta Post

Antara, Jakarta | Wed, 07/02/2008 3:20 PM

Indonesia is exploring the possibility of concluding Free Trade Agreements with Australia, New Zealand and India after signing similar pacts with China, ASEAN and South Korea, says a Finance Ministry official.

"We have held preliminary discussions with India, Australia, and New Zealand, but the most comprehensive talks were held with Japan," said the Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policies Board chief Anggito Abimanyu on Wednesday.

He said the agreements with the three countries would probably cover trade aspects rather than economic cooperation in a wider sense.

"But maybe they will only provide for free trade or reduction of import duties," Anggito said.

Commenting on the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJ-EPA), Anggito said that under the agreed cooperation framework there were two import duty reduction schemes, namely the general reference tariff scheme and the user specific duty free scheme (USDFS).

Under the IJ-EPA, especially in relation to the general preference tariff scheme, it was agreed that Indonesia would lower of its duty tariff posts to zero percent starting on July 1, 2008, while Japan would lower 80 percent of its tariff posts.

NZ exploring investment possibilities in E Kalimantan

Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - New Zealand is looking into the possibility of investing in East Kalimantan`s eco-tourism and micro hydro power plants.

"There are two things in East Kalimantan in which we may be interested to make an investment, namely eco-tourism and micro hydro power plants," Deputy New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Dacid Stachan said here Thursday.

Stachan, who visited East Kalimantan for the first time expressed hope that the local administration could provide his country with information on its investment opportunities and potentials.

"I came here to look into possibilities of investment. If such possibilities exist, I will bring the result of my visit to my government for consideration," he said.