Kiwi chopper pilot released after 19 months being held hostage

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, taken hostage in Papua, Indonesia, is now safe.

Mr Mehrtens was taken while working as a pilot at a remote airstrip in Paro, Papua on 7 February 2023.

“We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family. This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones,” Mr Peters says.

Mr Peters says for the last 19 and a half months a wide range of Government agencies has been working with Indonesian authorities and others towards securing Mr Mehrtens’ release. 

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with staff in both Indonesia and Wellington, has led a sustained whole-of-Government effort to secure Phillip Mehrtens’ release, and has also been supporting his family, Mr Peters says.

Mr Peters also wanted to acknowledge the cooperation and restraint showed by many media outlets in relation to this case. 

“The case has taken a toll on the Mehrtens family, who have asked for privacy. We ask media outlets to respect their wishes and therefore we have no further comment at this stage.”