New Zealand Highlights Food Partnership With Indonesia at Matariki Celebration

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – New Zealand used its annual Matariki celebration in Jakarta to showcase growing trade and food-sector ties with Indonesia, highlighting how New Zealand’s premium agricultural products can support Indonesia’s food industry while strengthening cultural and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The New Zealand Embassy in Indonesia and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) hosted the Matariki, or Māori New Year, celebration on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, featuring Indonesian dishes prepared with New Zealand ingredients. The event underscored the expansion of bilateral relations in trade, food security, education, and cultural exchange.

Matariki refers to the Pleiades star cluster, whose appearance in the winter sky marks the beginning of the Māori lunar New Year, known as Maramataka. The occasion is traditionally a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the future.

New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Phillip Taula said the culinary theme was designed to honor the strong relationship between the two nations.

“We are delighted to share this tradition with Indonesia. This year, we wanted to celebrate the close relationship between our countries by inviting guests to experience a fusion of flavors, representing the meeting of our two cultures,” Taula said, as quoted by Antara.

He noted that Indonesia–New Zealand relations extend beyond cultural exchanges to include trade, economic cooperation, education, and joint efforts to strengthen food and energy security.

Taula also said Indonesian consumers are becoming increasingly familiar with New Zealand food products as bilateral trade continues to expand.

As part of the celebration, guests were served Indonesian-inspired dishes incorporating premium New Zealand ingredients, including dairy products, beef, fruits, honey, and other food products.

Among the featured dishes was asinan Betawi, a traditional Jakarta specialty of pickled vegetables and fruits served with a tangy, spicy peanut sauce. The dish was enhanced with New Zealand sour cream and parmesan cheese, adding a rich and refreshing twist to the classic recipe.

A vegetable laksa, a popular Southeast Asian noodle soup known for its coconut-based broth and bold spices, was prepared using cooking cream and fortified milk powder. The adaptation created a lighter broth while preserving Indonesia’s signature spice flavors.

Guests also sampled black-spiced fried duck served with mango sour cream sambal, combining sweet, sour, and spicy flavors with the dish’s aromatic seasoning.

Another highlight was fried kiwi fruit drizzled with New Zealand’s renowned manuka honey, showcasing one of the country’s most distinctive products.

The event was attended by senior Indonesian officials and prominent figures, including Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) head Taruna Ikrar, Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) head Ahmad Haikal Hasan, and former Indonesian ambassador to New Zealand Tantowi Yahya. ***