Great event in Auckland last week! Places are still available for Christchurch presentation tomorrow

Nov 28, 2017  -  Oceania Aviation has achieved approval of a cargo pod system for the Bell 429, and it is looking to further expand its equipment range.  Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, Oceania Aviation’s Part 145 manufacturing division, Airborne Systems, has worked with a private owner to gain New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZCAA) approval for its Bell 429 Cargo Pod supplemental type certificate (STC).

In early 2017, engineering manager Russell Goulden was approached by a private owner who was unhappy about a recently purchased cargo basket. With the possibility of making changes to the H125 Series cargo pod for the Bell 429, Goulden knew this was a project he and his team could accomplish. Oceania Aviation’s streamlined cargo pod has a much lower drag penalty than wire mesh type of basket, and it keeps valuable property safe from the elements as well as being locked when the aircraft is parked.

Having successfully received NZCAA, TC and FAA approval for role equipment used on the H125 (AS350 and AS355) and MD500 Series helicopters, Goulden is well accustomed to the STC approval processes.

“We are always excited to increase our product range, but, more importantly, to increase operational capability of an aircraft. At the end of the day we provide operators with a solution to increase the capabilities of their aircraft which can transform into increased revenue and satisfaction,” said Goulden. “This makes our work very fulfilling. Working alongside operators to create a product that best suits their needs is exactly what we want to be doing.”

With adjustments to the current H125 Series cargo pod, Airborne Systems have created and received approval for a fully composite cargo pod designed for strength and lightness, becoming the epitome of externally mounted storage on the right side of the Bell 429 aircraft.

“We are now looking for expressions of interest to get our cargo pod approved for the Bell 407. In fact, we welcome expressions of interest to create role equipment for any helicopter type,” Goulden added.

Oceania Aviation’s cargo pods are currently utilized on AS350s and AS355s for heli-skiing, tourism, logging and utility operations in New Zealand, Canada and more recently in the United States. Having displayed the cargo pod at the annual HAC convention and trade show in Ottawa, Ontario, the reviews of the pod have been very positive.

According to Oceania Aviation, the new owner of the Bell 429 cargo pod was so impressed with the Airborne Systems working on a Bell 429 bike rack.

Goulden and his team are also in the process of achieving several modifications for the MD 902 helicopter including a seat shift kit, cargo hook mirrors, camera mounting systems and more.

| An Ociena Aviation release  ||  November 28,  2017   |||

Nov 28, 2017  -  Agrophotovoltaics - Agriculture and renewable energy have worked together for more than fifteen centuries, ever since ancient Persians began using windmills to pump water and grind grain. Today, in the Midwestern US, we see cornfields sharing acreage with megawatt-scale wind turbines that produce minimal shading effects on crops, significant power enhancements to the grid, and additional income for farmers. Researchers in Baden-Württemberg, a region in southern Germany, are looking for ways to increase sustainable energy production in an area where wind speeds are relatively slow, making solar the preferred electrical generating technology. But plants need sunlight just as much as photovoltaic panels do, so engineers are working on an elevated solar array that feeds both of society's energy needs: biological and technological.

|  Agrophotovoltaics: Edibles and EnergyIn a pilot project known as Agrophotovoltaics - Resource-Efficient Land Use (APV-RESOLA), engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems designed and constructed a 194 kilowatt elevated solar array over a one-third hectare section of cropland. An adjacent section of the farm remains unaltered to serve as a control. In a three-year study, researchers from the University of Hohemhein are assessing crop quality and yield in both the experimental and control fields. Farmers hope to generate appreciable electricity while maintaining crop production levels at the 80% level.

Continue to read the full article here on engineering.com  ||  November 28,  2017   |||

Nov 28, 2017  -Christchurch apps design company LWA Solutions is launching a world-first virtual reality pilot training app with the Ports of Auckland early next year. Maritime pilots people guide ships safely into harbours all around the world. As part of their job, they have to get on and off moving cargo ships by means of a rope ladder – a demanding and risky job. The LWA app uses virtual reality to safely simulate the experience maritime pilots go through when getting on and off ships. LWA chief executive Atta Elayyan showcased the virtual reality training solution at the recent New Zealand Maritime Pilot Association’s 30th anniversary annual conference in Christchurch and it received overwhelmingly positive feedback from pilots and trainers. “It’s a highly cost-effective training method, safely simulating highly variable conditions making it superior to current training methods,” Elayyan says. “We believe virtual reality training will become an industry standard in the very near future. It provides a risk-free way to prepare trainee pilots for the tasks they will need to undertake during their job and can also efficiently vet out those who may not be cut out for the role. “We understand there are no solutions like this anywhere in the world using virtual reality headsets. Our simulation is targeting the ‘embarkation training’, which is the physical process of safely maneuvering outside the pilot boat and climbing a nine metre ladder to board the ship, while both the pilot boat and ship are under way. “Some ports overseas use ship bridge simulators, which are very costly to set up or hire. We are using a highly cost-effective virtual reality training system which requires minimal physical space and is portable. We can see this disrupting bridge simulation in future.” LWA Solutions has also produced a special app for the Ports of Auckland which is significantly helping in the improve piloting of ships into the harbour. Their app is the first fully digital piloting application of its kind in Australasia. It has increased the efficiency and reduced potential human error by consolidating multiple processes into a single app highlighting ship schedules, tidal calculations and manouvre drawings. The Ports of Auckland has about 1500 shipping arrivals a year.

Ports of Auckland Senior Pilot John Barker says they we are always looking for ways to do more with less. “We use a crane and straddle simulator to train our crane and straddle drivers, a move which has improved our efficiency and saved $3 million dollars in training costs. “Our pilot app, developed with LWA Solutions, has made the master-pilot transfer safer and more efficient. Now we are introducing the virtual reality pilot training app, which aims to enhance safety by improving training for one of the most-risky manoeuvres in port operations. It is another step in our journey to becoming a world-class sustainable port.” Elayyan’s LWA team recently produced a cool app to help courier drivers in the Middle East, for multi-billion Dubai-based company Aramex. With 13,900 employees at 354 locations across 60 countries, Aramex is the largest logistics and transport services company in the Middle East. Last year, Aramex bought New Zealand courier firm Fastway, which has an annual turnover of $500 million. For further information contact LWA Solutions chief executive Atta Elayyan on 021 1453358 or Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188

| An LWA Solutions release with MakeLemonade  ||  November 28, 2017   |||

Nov 27, 2017  -  The Government is refusing to release a secret document with directives for new ministers, despite Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters promising it would be made public.

National leader Bill English has called for the agreement to be made public, saying it is "at the heart of the governing arrangements" for the new Government writes Sam Sachdeva for Newsroom.

The existence of the 38-page document was first revealed by Peters the day after Labour and New Zealand First signed a more slender eight-page public coalition agreement.

Speaking to media after the allocation of ministerial portfolios, he described it as “a document of precision on various areas of policy commitment and development”.

“These are directives to ministers with accountability and media strategies to ensure that the coalition works, not in a jealous, envious way, ‘We got this and they got that’, but as a government successively, cohesively working.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into it, in fact day one of our negotiations that was the first subject we raised, how are we going to handle a cohesive coalition arrangement?”

At the time, he said the document was still being finalised, but would cover the appointment process for diplomats.

Peters said then the document would be made public, saying it was “for the province of the Prime Minister to release”.

However, in response to an Official Information Act request from Newsroom seeking the document’s release, Jacinda Ardern’s adviser Heather Simpson claimed “the Prime Minister does not hold any such official information”.

Simpson’s letter referred to Section 2 of the Act, saying official information covered only information held by “a Minister of the Crown in his official capacity”.

The Ombudsman’s OIA guidelines for ministers state that while official information does not include information held by a minister in their role as a member of a political party, “such information may become official information if it is subsequently used for official ministerial purposes”.

Newsroom has appealed the Government’s decision to the Ombudsman.

"It has to be made public because it's at the heart of the governing arrangements that New Zealand's just signed up to."

Wellington lawyer Graeme Edgeler said the document appeared to qualify as official information based on Peters’ description of it.

“It’s going to govern how he technically appoints ambassadors and other people overseas, which would be the Cabinet committee on honours and appointments, well that’s something they’d be using if it’s correctly described.”

While an agreement that covered the parties’ political or parliamentary roles would be exempt from the OIA, that did not appear to be the case here, Edgeler said.

“If ... it is going to cover things that the Government is doing as the Government, not as MPs in the House, then I can’t see how this could be refused on the basis it’s not about ministers.”

English said the document was "clearly official information" and should be released, given the public's need to understand how the new coalition would be run.

"It has to be made public because it's at the heart of the governing arrangements that New Zealand's just signed up to...

"It's a bad start for a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister who have promised to be a more transparent and open Government."

The Opposition has already lodged over 6000 written questions with the Government, "setting a baseline against which we can hold them to account", and had already found it difficult to get a response to some questions, English said.

"We're finding they are not taking the business of government seriously, they don't seem to understand that part of being a Government is being sufficiently organised to provide the information, so right now I think you'd say they're just too disorganised to do it - I hope it's not an indication of how they're going to run the Government."

English said the Government would struggle with the new level of transparency that he argued the last National Government had implemented.

"We pushed hard on data and transparency and public servants having to be open...now we weren't perfect, and you guys didn't give us any credit for it, but we did shift the ground a long way."

A spokesman for Ardern said the coalition agreement which had been publicly released was "the only official document that guides the agreed work programme of Labour and New Zealand First in Government".

| Read the originale article by Sam Sachdeva on Newsroom here  || November 27,  2017   |||

Nov 24, 2017  -  Northport Ltd is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Cargo volumes at Marsden Point have more than doubled since the port opened in 2002 to a record 3.64 million tonnes last financial year. Ship calls have increased from 93 a year to 250 a year over that period, with berth occupancy now at a record 66.4 percent, up from 52.9 percent just five years ago.

The company, a 50/50 joint venture between Marsden Maritime Holdings Ltd and Port of Tauranga, is marking these milestones by launching a public discussion about the potential future size and shape of the port.

It has published its ‘vision for growth’ online at www.vision4growth.co.nz and is inviting people to ask questions or make their views known to its management team via the website.  Chief executive Jon Moore stressed that the vision was not a confirmed plan, or even a formal proposal. No decision has yet been made by Northport’s Board to grow the port.

“It’s a conversation-starter; a vision based on what we believe is possible here,” he said. “At this early stage all we’re doing is prompting a discussion among tangata whenua, other Northlanders, our neighbours, customers, port users, suppliers and other stakeholder groups with an interest in what happens here, about what role they see Northport playing in the future of our region.”

Mr Moore said that in recent years, and particularly in the run-up to the recent general election, there had been much discussion about what should happen at Northport. Although Northport Ltd had no firm growth plans at this stage, its management team wanted to make public their vision for future growth.

“Some of the most frustrating narrative we’ve listened to over recent months has been around the perception that it’s not possible to grow Northport beyond its existing size,” Mr Moore said. “Our vision for growth demonstrates clearly that this is not the case. It introduces some reality to the discussion and shows that we are, in fact, well positioned to support economic growth both in Northland and in Auckland.”

Mr Moore said Northport would need to grow if it was going to play a key role in the future growth of the upper North Island. “Importantly, we don’t need to expand northwards into the harbour. Instead, we can extend our existing linear wharf east and west,” he said.

Northport Ltd’s vision for growth at Marsden Point includes 1,390m of linear berth, more than twice its current length, and involves growing its overall footprint from 48ha to 75ha.  Mr Moore said his team felt this was necessary if Northport was to play a meaningful role in developing Northland's economy and supporting Auckland's growth.

“Growing a port is an expensive and complex undertaking. To support economic growth and meet the forecast demand for shipping across the upper North Island we need to plan and build for the future, not just today.”

The vision Northport Ltd is making public today is based on many years of research, technical planning and engineering input from a raft of experts in this field. The company now has a good idea about what is physically and technically possible at Northport, and what isn’t.

It has not put any dates to its decision-making process around possible growth.

“We know full well that what we look like in the future will be shaped to some extent by our communities and our customers,” Mr Moore said. “So first we want to hear from these groups about what role they see us playing in Northland’s and the upper North Island’s growth.”

This initial discussion period will be followed by further technical and environmental studies and modelling, and if there are no surprises the company will then embark on a detailed stakeholder consultation exercise.

About NorthportNorthport, situated at Marsden Point at the mouth of Whangarei Harbour, is New Zealand’s northernmost port. It is a flexible facility catering for large, multi-purpose vessels and full cargo handling facilities are available from its 570 metre linear berth.

Logs, woodchip and processed timber for export comprise the bulk of cargo processed by the port. Other export items include kiwifruit, dairy products and manufactured goods. Imports are an important part of Northport’s business and include fertiliser, gypsum, coal and palm kernel. Northport has full container handling capability, including a mobile harbour crane. Containers are being imported and exported, as well as shipped around the coast.

A weekly coastal container service links Northport with other ports around the country.

The company has published its ‘vision for growth’ online at www.vision4growth.co.nz and is inviting people to ask questions or make their views known to its management team via the website.

The port is owned and operated by Northport Ltd, itself owned jointly and equally by Marsden Maritime Holdings Ltd and the Port of Tauranga Ltd.

| A Northport release  ||  November 24,  2017   |||

Nov 24, 2017  -  Artificial intelligence, machine learning and smart data are major themes at next year’s MobileTECH 2018. This is one of New Zealand’s largest agritech events and will see technology leaders from throughout the agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors gather in Rotorua in late March.  The pace of change within the primary sector is continuing to be driven by advances in new digital technologies. While New Zealand has been a world leader in traditional farming systems, it is critical for the sector to maintain and grow productivity through the smart adoption of these new innovations.

“MobileTECH 2018 will continue to be a platform for change and showcase where the industry is headed,” said Ken Wilson, MobileTECH’s programme manager.

“The 2018 programme will feature over 35 speakers covering disruptive topics like the integration of machine learning in health and safety systems, blockchain for secure agricultural transactions and key learnings from the successful rollout of the Internet of Things (IoT) to farms throughout New Zealand.”

Thundermaps uses machine learning algorithms and big data to redefine health and safety in rural locations. OSPRI now use Thundermaps to protect their contractors working on farms. The system tracks millions of data points to ensure, via a mobile app, that the contractor receives relevant real-time hazard warnings no matter how remote the location. Both companies will be presenting at MobileTECH.

Blockchain is set to become the future for payment and supply-chain systems. Australian-based company, AgriDigital, will be on-hand to discuss what this means for the primary industry. AgriDigital delivered the world’s first live settlement of a physical commodity using blockchain technology. The pilot project saw the sale and successful delivery of 23 metric tonnes of wheat to a beef farm in NSW using the blockchain system.

The Internet of Things has moved from being an exciting upcoming technology to one that is delivering real benefits to early adopters throughout the industry. A number of speakers, including network provider Spark Ventures, agritech company ReGen and King Country farmer Lachlan Chapman, will focus on the real-world application of IoTs.

“The MobileTECH 2018 programme will open with the big technology trends and discuss how we can improve investment and collaboration within the agritech community,” said Mr Wilson. “Day two gets hands-on, highlighting practical case studies on the adoption and use of these innovations by primary sector businesses up and down the country.”

MobileTECH 2018 will be running on 27-28 March 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Further details can be found on the event website, www.mobiletech.events..

| A MobileTECH release  ||  November 24,  2017   |||

Nov 23, 2017  - Ara Institute of Canterbury Certificate in Creativity students are turning their art into environmental action. Tomorrow on Friday 24 November, they will wheel their concerns about plastics affecting our environment to the Christchurch City Council, and to Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalzell.

For the past six weeks the students have been working on a group project, incorporating donated shopping trolleys, recycled plastic and plastic bags into three magnificent sculptures that represent their concerns for the planet’s future. Tutor, Henry Sunderland has overseen the creative process. “The students have done research on plastics around the world and how it’s clogging up the ocean. They’re really concerned, and they want to do something.”

At 11.15am tomorrow, they will present their creations to the Mayor, the Christchurch Wizard, and other community leaders, at the CCC building on Hereford Street.

Henry said there has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the sculptures on social media. “Is it a protest? I don’t know. I think it’s more about awareness, and the recognition that we’re dealing with a real situation. It’s about communication, and how do we get that message out there. That’s what we’re teaching within this Certificate- creative communication.” 

The New Zealand Certificate in Creativity is a new qualification offered at Ara this year. The course focuses on creating change, adding value and communicating ideas.|  An ARA release  ||  November 23, 2017   |||

Counter-intuitive labels date to Irish Famine & Repeal of Corn Laws

Nov 23, 2017  -  New Zealand commentators remain confused by the terms neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism which they often confuse in relation to free trade and customs unions such as the Trans Pacific scheme.

It was the conservatives, in this case the New Zealand National Government, which pushed for the original TPP scheme.

Nov 23, 2017  -  Air New Zealand is exploring the use of blockchain-based systems within its business, reinforcing its global reputation for innovation and embracing new and emerging technology.  Blockchain is being used globally to build encrypted, shared platforms, providing a secure and efficient way to track the exchange of goods or information. Air New Zealand is looking at a number of potential use cases for the distributed ledger technology including cargo and baggage tracking, retail, distribution and loyalty programme opportunities. Air New Zealand Chief Digital Officer Avi Golan says applications of blockchain are developing rapidly, and the airline is excited by the possibilities. “With its built-in efficiency and security, blockchain has the potential to trigger huge innovation in travel, paving the way for new business models and collaboration.” Air New Zealand is partnering with Swiss travel platform Winding Tree, which is developing the world’s first travel marketplace on blockchain to connect suppliers such as airlines and hotels directly to sellers. “While we are still exploring its benefits, blockchain may offer a streamlined way to retail airfares and ancillary products alongside our current channels. In removing complexity from the sales chain, customers benefit from reduced transactional costs, and airlines benefit from swift and secure sharing of information,” says Mr Golan. Winding Tree Founder and Chief Executive Officer Maksim Izmaylov says Winding Tree is a decentralised alternative to the current travel distribution landscape.   “With a business-to-business marketplace system powering blockchain-based travel booking transactions, startups and companies will be able to gain direct access to travel service providers’ offerings.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Air New Zealand, as it’s an important step in bringing blockchain technology to the travel industry and creating opportunity for innovation,” says Mr Izmaylov.

Air New Zealand has worked with a range of leading technology partners to introduce innovations to enhance the customer experience. These include its artificial intelligence backed chatbot Oscar, who helps customers with queries online and through the Air New Zealand mobile app, and its experiment with the social robot Chip, who assisted customers with check in at Sydney Airport earlier this year. German carrier Lufthansa has also recently announced a partnership with Winding Tree.

| An Air New Zealand release  ||  November 23,  2017   |||