Fonterra had eye on safety

By SCOTT MacLEOD

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra chose a high-profile Jakarta hotel for a training course despite strong warnings against travelling to Indonesia.

Fonterra said it chose the JW Marriott Hotel because, ironically, it was thought to be the safest venue.

Nine of 29 staff at the conference, some of whom flew from as far as Russia to attend the conference, were hospitalised after the bomb ripped through the five-star hotel. All were employees of Fonterra subsidiary NZ Milk.

NZ Milk managing director David Pilkington said yesterday that the conference was held in Jakarta because it was mostly aimed at training some of the 180 staff based there.

Asked why staff from Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, Australia and New Zealand were also at the conference, Mr Pilkington said they had either missed similar conferences in their own countries or were new employees.

Mr Pilkington said the Marriott was chosen because "our local people felt security there was as good as it gets".

His comments were backed by New Zealander Bruce Akker, who lives in Jakarta.

"I eat at the hotel regularly and I guess it was one of the more security-focused hotels in Jakarta," he said.

Fonterra's three-day sales and marketing conference was in its second day when the bomb hit.

The injured New Zealanders were Riki Taiaroa, 42, of Jakarta and Michael Rudman, 39, of Melbourne.

Also treated for minor injuries were three Malaysians and three Indonesians employed by NZ Milk, and an Indonesian member of a Fonterra-linked advertising agency.