Jan 9, 2018  -  Environmental organisation WWF and its partners have introduced revolutionary blockchain technology to the Pacific Islands’ tuna industry, the first of its kind for this region, to help stamp out illegal fishing and human rights abuses.

Tracking fish from vessel to the supermarket, the Blockchain Supply Chain Traceability Project is using digital technology in the fresh and frozen tuna sectors of the Western and Central Pacific region to strengthen supply chain management.

As part of an innovative initiative, WWF-New Zealand, WWF-Australia, and WWF-Fiji have teamed up with global tech innovator ConsenSys, information and communications technology (ICT) implementer TraSeable, and tuna fishing and processing company Sea Quest Fiji Ltd. to deliver the project in Fiji.

“We are so excited that WWF-New Zealand is a Blockchain project partner,” said WWF-New Zealand CEO Livia Esterhazy. “This innovative project has the potential to really improve people’s lives and protect the environment though smart, sustainable fisheries.”

“For years, there have been disturbing reports that consumers may have unknowingly bought tuna from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and, even worse, from operators who use slave labour.

“Through blockchain technology, soon a simple scan of tuna packaging using a smartphone app will tell the story of a tuna fish – where and when the fish was caught, by which vessel and fishing method. Consumers will have certainty that they’re buying legally-caught, sustainable tuna with no slave labour or oppressive conditions involved. Blockchain technology is a digital, tamper-proof record of information that is accessible to everyone.”

The buying and selling of Pacific tuna is currently either tracked by paper records, or not at all. Now fishermen can register their catch on the blockchain through radio-frequency identification (RFID) e-tagging and scanning fish.

“This is about helping people understand exactly where their food comes from – telling the story about the fish, the fisherman, the families, the crew – the path from ocean to plate,” Ms Esterhazy said.

Now steps are underway to find a retailer to partner in the project and use blockchain to complete the tuna’s traceability story.

ConsenSys, one of the leaders in blockchain development, is working with WWF and Sea Quest to test and implement the Viant blockchain traceability tool for the Pacific tuna industry.

“We are thrilled to be working with WWF and Sea Quest Fiji on this project, as ConsenSys has a keen interest in supporting applications of blockchain that offer an opportunity for social impact and doing good in the world,” said Tyler Mulvihill, Co-Founder and Global Business Development, Viant.io.

Brett “Blu” Haywood, the CEO of Sea Quest Fiji, welcomes the blockchain technology. “Sustainable fishing ensures the longevity of the fishing business, and Sea Quest wants to see sustainable fishing in the region. This blockchain project with the three WWF offices certainly gives the industry the best opportunity going forward,” Mr Haywood said.

The project receives technical support from TraSeable Solutions, a new technology company based in Fiji. CEO of TraSeable Ken Katafono said: “I am very excited to be part of this project, which I’m sure will lead the transformation of seafood supply chain traceability in the Pacific and potentially around the world”.

Source:  WWF - New ZEaland   ||  January 9, 2018   |||

Jan 9, 2018  -  The government could introduce a charge on single use plastic packaging such as plastic drink bottles, the Prime Minster has said.  Appearing on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show, the Theresa May spoke of the success of the 5p carrier bag charge introduced a few years ago and said a similar levy could be slapped on plastic bottles, as well as bubble wrap, cutlery, and polystyrene takeaway boxes in a bid to reduce single use plastic packaging and reduce pollution in the world’s oceans.

Jan 9, 2018  -  Apple isn’t immune to Meltdown and Spectre, the major bugs in basic computing architecture that were announced yesterday to widespread amazement and horror. In an announcement, the company said that “all Mac systems and iOS devices are affected,” which sounds right, but that mitigations are either already in place or on the way.

If you’re still not clear on the whole debacle, I went into detail on it yesterday. Basically, a couple of tricks processors have been using for decades turn out to have a couple extremely serious vulnerabilities and could be used to reveal all kinds of protected data to malicious actors.

Fortunately, as Apple puts it, “there are no known exploits impacting customers at this time.” But you better believe it won’t stay that way for long. To prevent being the lucky first victim (that we know of) of one of the most serious security issues of the decade, please do check if your devices are up to date.

For some devices, it was handled a while ago: “Apple released mitigations for Meltdown in iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2.” Apple Watch is safe, since Meltdown is a problem with Intel processors and it doesn’t have any. Although reports have warned of performance hits, Apple says it has observed “no measurable reduction” in benchmark scores.

For Spectre, which is a trickier beast both to take advantage of and to fix, patches are forthcoming. “Apple will release an update for Safari on macOS and iOS in the coming days to mitigate these exploit techniques.”

If you’re wondering why people keep saying “mitigate” instead of “fix” or “counteract” or something, it’s because Meltdown and Spectre take advantage of computing practices so basic that avoiding them is extremely difficult and complex. And new variants of attacks may very well circumvent the protections companies have put together during the last few months during which the exploits were kept secret. The mitigations and patches will probably multiply.

In the meantime, since the exploits seem to only apply to code running natively on your machine, Apple’s advice is “downloading software only from trusted sources such as the App Store.” Nice try, Apple! I’d rather face an existential threat to computing than use the Mac App Store

Source:  TechCrunch  |  January 4, 2018   |||

Jan 4, 2018  -  HSV’s final Holden Commodore-based model is a 2017 GTSR W1.  Australia’s semi-official tuner to Holden, HSV, has made a name for itself over the past three decades by churning out meaty muscle cars based on successive generations of rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered Holden Commodores. All of that has come to an end, however, as HSV on Wednesday announced the construction of its final Commodore-based model.

Jan 4, 2018  -  DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, has been named 2018 Top Employer for Asia Pacific as well as eight countries in the region: Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

The award was conferred by Top Employers Institute, a global organisation recognising excellence in employee conditions, making this the fourth consecutive year that DHL Express has received the award. This further establishes the company as a regional leader in employment practices and talent development, with a workplace culture built on respect, recognition and equal opportunities.

“The DHL culture is built on the two R’s – Respect and Results. When we value our employees, and provide them with opportunities to achieve, we’re able to deliver the world-class results that our customers rely on to grow their businesses,” said DHL Express Asia Pacific CEO Ken Lee. “It is an honour to be acknowledged as a leading employer and an excellent workplace in Asia Pacific once again, and a testament to the hard work and effort that all our employees invest in really making DHL Express a byword for excellence.”

The Top Employer award has consistently recognised DHL Express’ sustained investment in talent growth, including its Certified International Specialist (CIS) and Certified International Manager (CIM) programmes that have trained over 43,000 employees in Asia Pacific. Nearly 75 percent of executive positions in the region end up being filled by internal candidates thanks to the company’s talent development initiatives, and women hold one in three management roles in DHL Express.“Diversity in leadership and the workplace help us better understand the full range of our customers’ needs and stories – resulting in more effective service for their businesses,” said DHL Express Asia Pacific Human Resources Senior Vice President A. Mateen. “Thanks to a strong diversity management framework in place, coupled with comprehensive feedback from our annual Employee Opinion Survey, we’ve established a workplace culture where everyone has not only a voice, but also the opportunity to grow to their full potential.”

This year, DHL Express was also named Best Employer 2017 for Asia Pacific and nine other countries region-wide, as well as ‘Best Employer for Women in the Workplace’ in South Korea and Taiwan, by human capital firm Aon Hewitt. The Great Place to Work Institute also recognised DHL Express as one of the ‘Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia’ for five countries as well as the broader Asia Pacific region.

DHL Express Sri Lanka Country Manager Dimithri Perera commenting on Sri Lanka’s contribution towards this overall recognition said: “We are proud that in the year 2017, DHL Express was adjudged a Top 25 ‘Best Companies to Work for in Sri Lanka’ and also won the Maiden award for ‘Best Multinational Corporation in Sri Lanka’ as well as the prestigious Gold award for ‘Best in Medium-Sized Enterprise Category in Sri Lanka’ awarded by Great Place to Work Institute. These awards have contributed to DHL Express in Asia Pacific earning continuous recognition as one of the most inspiring and rewarding places to work where people can unlock their potential and deliver value to our clients.”

“The success of any logistics operation depends on the skill, adaptability, and resilience of its people, translated across numerous cultures and geographies,” added Ken Lee. “At DHL Express, we’re committed to creating an environment where all employees can thrive and grow. We’re extremely proud to have nearly doubled the number of awards for our culture and workplace this year compared to 2016: Each award encourages us to keep working towards a more inclusive, effective, and empathetic culture in every market where we do business.”

Source:  MirrorBusiness   ||  January 3, 2018   |||

Jan 3, 2018  -  New Zealand company Matakana SuperFoods is gearing up to attend January’s ECRM EPPS event in Washington, D.C., bringing its Acai Bowls, Supergreens, Supershakes, Superchocs and Superfood Chocolate Bars into the U.S. marketplace.  The more than 70 lines of Matakana SuperFoods products include chia seeds, maqui, goji and acai berries, coconut sugar and fermented coconut sauces, and its popular Supergreens and Supershake blends.

Dec 29, 2017  -  Airbus has an order for 50 A321neo narrow-body aircraft from Qatar Airways, with deliveries to begin in 2019. The booking, which is valued at $6.35 billion at list prices, updates and expands an earlier contract placed by Qatar Airways in 2011.  The A321neo ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex configuration) introduces new placements for doors and other changes to the fuselage, so airlines can make more cost-effective use of cabin space and increase underfloor fuel capacity, for trans-Atlantic routes up to 4,000 nautical miles.

The A321neo is the largest variant of the OEM’s single-aisle, twin-engine A320 series jets with the “new engine option,” a choice of Pratt & Whitney PW1133G-JM or CFM International LEAP-1A engines. Along with the new engine options, the redesigned A320 series’ sharklet wing fixtures help to increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

Qatar Airways selected the A320 series Airbus Cabin Flex (ACF) configuration, with relocated cabin doors and other modifications to the fuselage that give carriers the ability to increase seating, including more “underfloor” fuel capacity to support a range of up to 4,000 nautical miles (i.e., trans-Atlantic routes.)

The order is considered to be part of the airline’s ongoing route expansion effort; in 2017, it introduced new service to Western and Central Europe, Russia, and Southeast Asia, and more new destinations will be added in 2018. The airline also will be the global launch customer for the Airbus A350-1000 wide-body jet during the coming year.

“At a time when Qatar Airways is experiencing unprecedented growth and expansion the need for efficient, reliable and modern aircraft has never been greater,” commented Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker. “To answer our need for growth and additional capacity, the A321neo ACF is a world-class choice for our passengers and for our business. Qatar Airways is the fastest growing airline in the world and with this aircraft we will operate the youngest fleet whilst delivering unprecedented comfort and services to our customers.”

Source: American Machinest  ||  December 29, 2017   |||

Dec 22, 2017  -  A US billionaire is funnelling tens of millions of dollars into a three-pronged New Zealand fine wine investment, in an ambitious attempt to mirror a business model developed by a French insurance giant writes David Williams for Newsroom.  The hope is to prove to the world that this country isn’t just a high-volume, low-price producer of sauvignon blanc – that it can, in fact, produce some of the best fine wine in the world.

Through Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates limited partnership, wealthy American Brian Sheth, and wife Adriana, paid $8 million to buy loss-making North Canterbury vineyard Pyramid Valley, in a deal approved by the Overseas Investment Office in September .

Details of Sheth’s New Zealand wine ambitions are contained in the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) decision, released to Newsroom under the Official Information Act.

It says the Sheths are also buying Central Otago’s Lowburn Ferry Estates (which requires another OIO application), including 27.5 hectares of land near Cromwell, and four hectares of yet-to-be-planted land in Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravel winegrowing area, as part of their “ambitious” investment plan.

“Achieving economies of scale is a key part of the investment,” the OIO decision says, while noting the Pyramid Valley purchase isn’t dependent on the other two going ahead.

“The applicant considers there is an opportunity to create a successful competitive business in the New Zealand fine wine industry, replicating a business model used successfully in Europe.”

Sheth’s business partner is Steve Smith, the Kiwi co-founder and developer of Craggy Range wines. Smith explains to Newsroom the idea is to emulate the business model developed by insurance company AXA. According to Forbes magazine, AXA has acquired wine estates in Burgundy, France, and Hungary and Portugal since 1987 and owns more than 500 hectares of vineyards around Europe.

Smith, who got out of Craggy in 2015, says the AXA fine wine entities coalesce under the same business and management umbrella, while retaining their independent brand and personality. It’s extremely successful as a strategy and a business, he says.

“We think we’ve got an opportunity to do that in New Zealand, where you have a bunch of these smaller, really high-end brands that, by themselves, probably struggle to be long-term sustainable businesses because of their lack of scale at a business level – not so much a lack of scale of wine-making.”

“In the context of a true fine wine investment in New Zealand it’s probably the most significant that’s been made, I would suggest.”

That’s great for New Zealand, he says. The danger, in his view, is the country being pigeon-holed as just a producer of sauvignon blanc at really good-value prices.

“That would be an absolute crying shame if that’s where the New Zealand wine industry ended up, because in this country are some of the world’s great wines made from some of the world’s most famous grape varieties. And we believe it’s really important that the world gets to see that.”

Across Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates’ three properties, Sheth’s investment is in the tens of millions of dollars, Smith says. “In the context of a true fine wine investment in New Zealand it’s probably the most significant that’s been made, I would suggest.”

The 80.7 hectare Pyramid Valley block is at Waikari, an hour north of Christchurch, close to the Waipara wine area. The vineyard was established by Mike and Claudia Weersing. The catalyst for the sale was the death of Mike’s father, Jim, who, alongside his family trust, were the operation’s major financial backers. The Weersings will initially stay on to manage the vineyard.

The vineyard is fully biodynamic and organic certified. Just over two hectares is already planted in grapes, with almost all the rest of the land used for pasture and water storage.

Pyramid Valley is high-end stuff. On average, 10,000 bottles of pinot noir and chardonnay, which retail for about $120 each, are produced each year. Two-thirds are exported.

(Yes, but how good is it? Smith says he regards the site as one of the best in the world to grow chardonnay. The combination of soils and climate give the wine a unique character, he says. “When you have a great bottle of Pyramid Valley chardonnay, particularly, but also the pinot, it leaves a lasting impression on you. With any high-end luxury product, that’s the name of the game.”)

The OIO decision lays out the breadth – but not the dollar value – of Sheth’s investment.

Two capital investments will be made over the next six years, including $1 million in the first three years. The first stage is to expand the vineyard area – the figures are redacted but to an area less than 10 hectares – thus increasing production. (Lowburn Ferry’s vineyard, near Cromwell, will also be enlarged.) Pyramid Valley’s vineyard development plans include building infrastructure for irrigation and frost protection.

After 2020, high-quality wine-tasting facilities and accommodation will be built on-site – although, the OIO says, “these facilities have not yet been designed, are at an early stage of planning, and do not yet have tangible costings”.

The OIO dismisses as “too vague, remote and unsubstantiated” claims by the Sheths that their Pyramid Valley investment will increase wine tourism to New Zealand, particularly by high-net-worth individuals.

Smith says Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates want to take time to design the tourism accommodation, “but I can tell you now that it will definitely happen”. “And, if anything, the level of investment that we talked about in the OIO application is probably conservative.”

The $2 billion man

So, in a possibly unfair binary choice, is Sheth’s investment a money-making hobby or a serious business endeavour? Smith leans towards the latter. But he admits Sheth’s technical appreciation of wine is more “sit around with his mates” quaffing a good wine, rather than “somebody who loves to hang out with serious wine geeks all the time”.

Sheth is “well-financed”, the OIO notes in an extraordinary understatement. Forbes estimates his net worth to be $US1.39 billion ($NZ2 billion). He is the co-founder and president of US investment company Vista Equity Partners, which manages more than $US14 billion, which is mainly for mergers and acquisitions, primarily in the software and technology sector. He lives in Austin, Texas, and used to work for Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Morgan Grenfell.

Smith says Sheth loves wine, New Zealand and conservation. Sheth’s Sangreal Foundation and Global Wildlife Conservation entities fund a variety of causes, including a New Zealand Department of Conservation programme to help save the kaki, or black stilt, and school-building in Africa.

Sheth’s likely to shell out for more environmental causes, such as projects associated with the country’s target of being predator-free by 2050, Smith reckons. “As the projects evolve around that and they have some real chance of making a difference, I would expect Brian to be involved at an increasing level.”

Smith says Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates, which has brought on former Trinity Hill CEO Michael Henley as its chief executive, has been keeping quiet while it shapes its plans. Snuffling the aroma of the brands, swirling the different distribution channels, pondering the finish of tourism accommodation designs.

“I think that’s going to be a decent amount of work for a while,” Smith says. “There’s been a couple of other smaller wineries that have come to market in the last two or three months that we’ve had a look at and decided ‘no’, because we just want to concentrate on this at the moment. But if it fits what we want to do and it adds value to what we want to do then, of course, we’ll have a look at it.”

Earlier this week, a joint report by ANZ Bank and Deloitte said New Zealand’s wine export revenue reached $1.66 billion this year. For the first time, exports to Australia, US and United Kingdom topped 200 million litres.

The report says Canterbury and Waipara harvested 8240 tonnes of grapes this year. The area boasts 65 wineries, 14 grape growers and employs 440 people. That makes it a minnow compared to its powerhouse northern neighbour, Marlborough, which employs 2400 people and harvested 302,396 tonnes last year.

Source:  Newsroom  ||  December 22, 2017   |||

Dec 22, 2017  -  The former heads of the UK’s biggest retailers have called for the introduction of a plastic free aisle at supermarkets.  Plastic free aisle Former chiefs of Asda, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, and Argos, along with current bosses at Debenhams and Weleda said in an open letter that while aluminium and glass can be reused easily, plastic packaging cannot be recycled ad infinitum.

“Most plastic packaging items can only be recycled twice before becoming unusable,” they insisted.

“Regardless of how much is invested in Britain’s recycling infrastructure, virtually all plastic packaging will reach landfill or the bottom of the ocean sooner or later.

“It is therefore essential that retailers and packaging manufacturers work together to turn off the tap of throwaway packaging. Retailers should take advantage of the raft of zero-plastic packaging solutions that provide a real alternative to conventional plastic.”

The group said a plastic free aisle would be good for business, as research showed at least a third of consumers base their purchasing decisions on the social and environmental impact of the products they buy.

This is not the first time there have been calls for plastic free aisles, and such views have been met with scepticism by packaging industry bodies and manufacturers.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has previously criticised the idea, saying that such a campaign deflected from the important role plastic packaging provides.

The material, according to the BPF, increases the hygiene of food while the Co-Op has warned that packaging-free food can increase food waste.

Iain Ferguson, Co-Op’s environment manager, told Sky News this week: “The packaging actually helps to increase the shelf life, for example on cucumbers, we used to sell them unwrapped. We did a full-scale trial in 2012 measuring the waste of wrapped and unwrapped cucumbers and we found that by wrapping the cucumbers we reduced the waste by two thirds.”

The UK’s retailers combined revenues exceed £380bn, and the sector employs 4.6 million people nationwide.

The signatories are:

Andy Clarke - Former CEO, ASDA

Sir Ian Cheshire - Chairman, Debenhams

The Lord Rose of Monewden - Former CEO, Argos, former Chairman and CEO, Marks and Spencer

The Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth DL - Former Chairman, Tesco

The Lord Stone of Blackheath - Former Managing Director, Marks and Spencer

The Lord Jones of Birmingham - Business Leader

The Lord Hayward OBE - Former Chief Executive of the British Soft Drinks Association

The Lord Cameron of Dillington - Former National President of the Country Land and Business Association

The Baroness Scott of Needham Market - Former Board Member, Lloyds Register, Party President, Liberal Democrats

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE - Former Co-Secretary and Legal Director, Kingfisher

The Rt Hon. Lord Foster of Bath - Associate, Global Partners Governance

The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts CBE - Former Director, Marston’s PLC

Brent Hoberman CBE - Founder, Lastminute.com

The Rt Hon. The Lord Goldsmith QC, PC - Former Attorney General

The Lord Judd - Former Director Oxfam

The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer - Unicef Board Member

The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM - Astronomer Royal

The Baroness Lister of Burtersett CBE - Author and Professor

Jayn Sterland - Managing Director, Weleda UK

| Source: PackagingNews    ||  December 21, 2017   |||

Dec 21, 2017  -  Construction is one of New Zealand’s biggest industries and predicted to grow for some time to come. Large and increasingly sophisticated building projects need well trained and qualified staff to run smoothly and efficiently - or risk costly mistakes.  Ara Institute of Canterbury has responded to this increasing complexity in the construction sector by launching new qualifications that prepare graduates with the critical thinking skills and initiative to lead the way as construction managers and quantity surveyors. The new Bachelor of Construction, specialising in construction management or quantity surveying, and Graduate Diplomas in Quantity Surveying (QS) and Construction Management (CM) (Level 7) have been approved by NZQA and are awaiting final approval from TEC to commence in 2018. Programme Leader at Ara Keith Power has many years of experience in quantity surveying and in teaching. “The construction industry told us this is what they need,” he said. “Construction is changing very rapidly with new technology and systems. Construction companies are increasing their productivity on increasingly complex jobs. Staff need to be better equipped for the future.” “Most of the construction company employers, and a lot of their staff, have passed through Ara or its predecessor CPIT. We are trusted to train quantity surveyors and construction managers for the realities of the construction industry. Running a building site, or managing the cost of a project, means dealing with the materials, staff, sub-contractors and technology – it is increasingly innovative, and there are new ways of setting projects up from the very start. Our qualifications take graduates a step further to really future proof their work with courses such as advanced contracting and law, cost planning and BIM (Building Information Modelling), property development, plus elective choices that allow students to choose the specialised areas they would like to explore.” The new qualifications are flexible to allow for part time study while working by using a blended delivery approach with online learning and two-day block courses. Full time study is also available using work-integrated industry placements to provide students with experience in an industry setting. Ara will continue to offer the New Zealand Diploma in Construction and Power expects many diploma graduates to upgrade to the degree. Those qualified in other areas, such as civil engineering, can enrol in the graduate diploma to move into specialising in CM or QS. It worth investing in upskilling, he says. “There are excellent employment prospects in QS and CM. The construction industry has moved on from the boom and bust, cyclical nature of the past, to steadier workflows forecast for the future.” For more information go to www.ara.ac.nz or phone 0800 24 24 76.

| An ARA frelease  ||  FDecvember 21, 2017   |||