Indonesia and New Zealand are strengthening strategic cooperation toward a long-term economic partnership. Minister of Trade Budi Santoso made this statement after a bilateral meeting with New Zealand's Minister of Trade and Investment, Todd Michael McClay, at the Ministry of Trade Office in Jakarta on Thursday (August 7th, 2025). The meeting discussed cooperation in the food and agriculture sectors, education, geothermal energy, and the development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). He stated that a shared perspective between the two countries is crucial amidst the dynamics of unilateral tariff policies by the United States (US) that are looming over global trade. One of the main targets of Indonesia–New Zealand cooperation is to achieve a bilateral trade value of USD
3.6 billion, or approximately IDR 58.5 trillion (an exchange rate of IDR 16,252 per US dollar) by 2029. This target is outlined in the Indonesia–New Zealand Comprehensive Partnership Plan of Action (PoA) 2025–2029, which will be pursued through optimizing international trade agreements, such as the ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
According to Budi, this meeting also provided New Zealand with the opportunity to express its support for Indonesia's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)."The Indonesian government expects this support to include technical assistance, substantive reviews, and expert assistance, given New Zealand's active experience in both forums," Budi said. Ministry of Trade data shows that from January to June 2025, total trade between the two countries reached USD 963.23 million. This represents a 21.56% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Of this figure, Indonesian exports were USD 374.89 million (IDR 6.09 trillion), and imports from New Zealand were USD 588.35 million (IDR 9.56 trillion). Indonesia's main export commodities were oilseed meal, coal, monitors and projectors, electrical transformers, and wood.
