Setting Things Straight

New Zealand ambassador to Indonesia Phillip Gibson recently addressed the Jakarta public at ‘New Zealand Week’, which included a series of events aimed at increasing Indonesian public awareness about New Zealand, sponsored by the New Zealand Embassy, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Pacivis University of Indonesia. Rhiannon Horrell, a student from New Zealand doing an internship in Jakarta, said the event was a good idea because Indonesians and New Zealanders knew very little about one another. “There are a lot of misconceptions, I think,” Horrell said. “A lot of Indonesian students wonder about the treatment of Muslims in New Zealand.” New Zealand Embassy second secretary for political affairs, James Waite, said the purpose of the event was to raise the county’s profile among Indonesian students.