1 NOV Ξ  Asian beauty brands now have a new source for packaging, design services and the latest in global trends. Recognising the steady growth of Asian domestic markets, Quadpack Industries is expanding its presence in the region.

The international packaging group has created a dedicated sales operation to service brands and contract fillers in the Asia Pacific region, led by Regional Director Jason Smith.

"It's a natural evolution of our business and a key element of our larger organic growth plans," says Smith. "We already have an established office in Australia and New Zealand and, since our merger with Collcap, an unrivalled presence across Asia, with a supply chain and QA team spread across China, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan. Now the different domestic markets are maturing, the time is right to start building relationships with local brands."

Around a third of the world's beauty packaging spend comes from Asia. It accounts for half of the world's skincare market, with many global trends originating in countries like Korea and Japan. What's more, domestic markets are growing and maturing.

Jimmy Kim, Quadpack Sales Manager Asia, comments: "There's a real opportunity for a packaging solutions provider like us – with global experience, a unique portfolio, our own manufacturing capability and a proven track record in Europe – to help these brands perform both locally and internationally."

Headquartered in Europe, Quadpack has been present in Asia since its inception in 2003. The company's Australian office is celebrating its 10th anniversary of servicing the leading brands in Australia and New Zealand this year. The Melbourne and Hong Kong offices will act as joint headquarters for Quadpack Asia Pacific. The Hong Kong office is also moving to new, larger offices in November in anticipation of increased activity.

Quadpack aims to secure 1% of the €6.5 billion Asian market in the next five years, growing to become a key strategic sales region along with Europe and Americas.

| A Quadpack release  ||  November 2,  2017   |||

1 Nov: Pests and diseases from offshore can cause serious harm to New Zealand's unique environment and primary industries; and the Port of Tauranga is one of many potential gateways.  Biosecurity week activities highlight the importance of biosecurity and the role that everyone in the Bay of Plenty can play in managing unwanted biosecurity risks Kiwifruit Vine Health Chief Executive BarryO’Neil told FreshPlaza .

“We’re looking forward to talking to people who work on and around the Port about biosecurity – it’s such an important issue and one that really does affect everyone.”

“People who own and work at local businesses remember what Psa has done to the kiwifruit industry. There are bugs and pests that we don’t want here in New Zealand because of the devastating effect they will have not only on kiwifruit, but on the whole of our horticulture industry and environment.”

“A good example is a particular type of bug we’re concerned about – it’s one of our most unwanted and called the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. It’s a major nuisance that attacks fruit when it feeds and ruins it.It infests homes and in the USA we’ve seen it stop people from being able to sit outside their homes and have a simple BBQ”.

Port staff, transitional facilities, associated industries (such as transporters and other logistical operators), and biosecurity experts will be meeting at several events over the next six days to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of managing biosecurity risk.

Special guest Ruud 'The Bug Man' Kleinpaste will also be attending several industry and community school group presentations during the week to discuss the vital role of everyone who works and lives in and around the Port and local community in keeping unwanted pests and diseases out of New Zealand.

Throughout the week there will also be discussions with post-harvest facilities and transitional facilities to learn more about the frontline biosecurity systems they have in place. Biosecurity Week is part of the biosecurity excellence partnership between Port of Tauranga, the Ministryfor Primary Industries, Kiwifruit Vine Health, NZ Avocado, Dairy NZ, Forestry Owners Association, NZ Customs and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Port of Tauranga Chief Executive Mark Cairns said the week provides a good opportunity to strengthen the significance of biosecurity within the Port community.

“Effective biosecurity awareness is critical to us running a successful business and being able to continue to service the Bay of Plenty region. The various events we’re holding for our staff, contractors and localbusinesses who regularly interact with us and our facilities will give us the chance to show people what they should be looking out for and what to do if they find anything.”

“It’s an opportunity to demonstrate the good work that happens here at the Port, day in day out, to keep an eye out.”

“Our people are at the frontline – they’re the ones most likely to first notice an unwanted pest on cargo, vehicles or equipment moving off the port. By knowing what to look for and reporting unfamiliar insectsor suspicious looking pests they help protect everyone’s livelihood and the future of the kiwifruit, avocado and forestry sectors.”

| A FreshPlaza release  ||  November1,  2017   |||

1 Nov: The Labour-led government may have found a way to create a ban on foreign home buyers without breaching the TPP, but its opposition to the ISDS may present a higher hurdle, as Sam Sachdeva reports for Newsroom. One surprise about the Government’s confirmation of its plan to ban foreigners from buying existing houses was how effortlessly it seemed to sidestep its trade obligations.

Making the announcement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker said the policy would not breach the TPP or any of its other existing trade deals, with the exception of Singapore.

However, an area where the Government will face greater difficulty is in its proposal to renegotiate the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses in the TPP.

The ISDS provisions, which allow foreign investors to take action against a TPP country if they believe it has breached its investment rules, have proved controversial.

| Continue here to read the full article |  November 1,  2017   |||

31 OCT:  New Zealand's trade minister said on Tuesday that it may be too late to make significant changes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after his new Labour-led government said last week it would seek to renegotiate the agreement.

The Labour Party, which took the helm last week, has taken issue with the fact that the deal is at odds with its plans to ban foreign ownership of existing houses, a key campaign promise.

The 11 TPP members had set a goal of reaching broad agreement on the pact on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Vietnam next week and some fear New Zealand's renegotiation could unravel the agreement.

Trade Minister David Parker told Radio New Zealand that Labour still found the foreign ownership rules "abhorrent", but that trade officials had told him not all changes would be possible given how late it was in negotiations.

"That doesn't mean to say we won't be able to change anything and it doesn't mean to say that perhaps through mechanisms outside of the TPP we will perhaps be able to fix other things," Parker said.

His comments suggested the government could instead focus on a change to domestic law to get around the TPP rules, which Parker had flagged as an option the previous day.

Parker added that he would release more details on the "mechanisms" to achieve the foreign housing ban later this week.

Trade experts told Reuters that New Zealand could include housing in the country's domestic legislation regulating foreign investment, which overrides the TPP.

The TPP currently requires member states to give foreign investors equal treatment to locals unless there are specific exemptions.

The Labour party would like an exemption for existing homes, similar to Australia's carve out.

New Zealand's current exception allows it to add a tax to foreigners purchasing homes, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that would not work and an outright ban was needed.

Ardern's government campaigned to restrict foreign buyers to reduce demand as the country tackles what Labour says is a housing crisis left unresolved by the previous government.

Parker on Tuesday would not confirm whether New Zealand was willing to walk away from the TPP over the issue, saying that would undermine the country's negotiating position.

"We're pretty good at trade agreements...so we rate our ability work through these issues in the best interest of New Zealand," he said. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield)

| A ShareNetNews release  ||  October 31,  2017   |||

31 Oct:  Vector has announced it has executed a contract to provide metering services to EnergyAustralia with an initial three-year deployment period that will commence before the end of 2017. Vector Limited Group Chief Executive, Simon Mackenzie, said, 'We're excited to be working with EnergyAustralia as part of our long-term commitment to the Australian market.

'We pride ourselves on our proven and innovative delivery of advanced metering services in New Zealand and Australia, alongside our huge focus on health and safety. Vector is looking forward to building on our New Zealand experience and being part of EnergyAustralia's new Power of Choice journey and supporting their aim to provide a world-class customer experience.

Vector now expects to be deploying advanced meters on behalf of at least four leading electricity retailers in 2018 across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT.

Mr Mackenzie said, 'Our vision is to create a new energy future. This means using technology such as smart meters to help enable new energy solutions, supporting the increasing expectations of consumers to have more choice, control and information over their energy needs just as they do with any other service.

'We're taking our experience and expertise from managing New Zealand's largest energy network, and our investment in developing new energy technologies and partnerships, and exporting them to other markets such as Australia and the Pacific

| A Vector release  ||  october 31,  2017   |||

31 Oct:  Sandvik Materials Technology has signed an agreement to divest the welding wire operations to ESAB, a global leader in the welding industry and part of Colfax Corporation. The agreement completes the main step in the divestment plan for welding wire and stainless wire announced on 17 May 2017. The deal includes the production units in Sandviken, Sweden and Scranton, US as well as the global sales and product management organization; in total approximately 120 employees. Revenues for the welding wire business amounted to 470 million SEK in 2016.

"We strongly believe that ESAB, with welding as its core business, is the right owner. The divestment enables us to further focus on our core operations according to Sandvik's strategy," says Björn Rosengren, Sandvik´s President and CEO.

"We are excited by the opportunity to better serve customers with a broader and enhanced portfolio of stainless steel and nickel filler metals," says Shyam Kambeyanda, President of ESAB.

The cash flow impact from the transaction is expected to be positive. Closing of the divestment is estimated to be completed within 2-4 months, following customary closing conditions.

The process to exit the stainless wire business, with about 270 million SEK in sales 2016, is progressing according to plan.

|  A Sandvic release  ||  october 30,   2017   |||

31 Oct:  The Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) National Science Challenge Board is providing $2m of funding for a project to develop adaptable, cheaply reconfigured, rapidly deployed ‘workforce’ robots able to learn from their environments. Project will examine how robotics can deliver an economic boost to NZ writes Stuart Corner for Computerworld New Zealand.  SfTI said the project would take a long-term view and examine how robotics could provide solutions for New Zealand’s economic needs.

Specifically, the programme will look into automated and autonomous technologies for small scale, high value, production; delve into ‘learning’ robots; and look at how robots can operate in rugged outdoor environments.

“Researchers will seek to develop new paradigms in robot autonomy and adaptability, including predictive environmental sensor fusion, and automatic improvement of AI-based interpretation of data,” according to SfTI.

The research group will also investigate workforce robots that could ‘communicate’, learn, and collaboratively work alongside humans, and investigate ‘non-written cues’, and the use of icons to communicate and exchange information.

SfTI said the collaborative structure of the research project across academic, commercial and industrial manufacturing sectors would create a dynamic network of information and expertise that will generate new knowledge, skills and revenue.

“From a commercial perspective the primary sector, including agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture and forestry, will directly benefit from the introduction of highly adaptable robots. Robust robots can assist in pre- and post-harvest processes eg cropping, pruning, monitoring nutrients in run off and leaching, and manage environmental inputs like precision agriculture and nutrient management,” SfTI said.

The project will involve researchers from Lincoln Agritech and SCION, as well as Auckland, Victoria, Massey, Canterbury and Otago Universities.

SfTI Director, Sally Davenport, said: “this is a forward-looking project aimed at underpinning future small-scale production of tailored, high value robots with wide application and an eye on export.”

Davenport said the projects brought to seven the number of spearheads projects funded since the SfTI Challenge launched two years ago with a $32.9m budget. SfTI had also funded a further 28 smaller high-risk, potentially high reward, SEED research projects in that time.

| An SfTI release  ||  October 31,  2017   |||

30 Oct:  The world’s largest tech firm Apple has confirmed New Zealand is on the right track to become a great global tech story, just like tourism, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says.  New Zealand is once again proving it excels in what Sir Paul Callaghan once said our strength lies in the weird stuff, Muller says. When the world’s largest tech firm purchases our technology, in this case Power by Proxi, we know we are on the right track, doing some great things. “The purchase of Power by Proxi by Apple is another sign of the growing strength of New Zealand as a leader of tech innovation. The top 200 tech exporters are now selling more than $7 billion a year into offshore markets while employing thousands of Kiwis here in New Zealand,” Muller says. “Employment across the tech sector rose by 22 percent between 2015 and 2016 and now accounts for 6 percent of the national workforce. “The University of Auckland has become a global centre for wireless charging research and has a faculty built around inductive power transfer, a field pioneered by two Auckland University professors and now used globally. “Having licensed the technology to Power by Proxi, the university will probably continue to gather licence returns from Apple, and others, as this technology goes mainstream. “Apple plans to keep the Power by Proxi business and team in New Zealand, no doubt to stay embedded within the world leading wireless charging faculty at Auckland. “As well as licensing returns for the university and ongoing job growth, the government would have had a decent tax take from the sale as most businesses like Power by Proxi typically have employee share schemes of about 10 percent of the value of the business. “If Apple purchased Power by Proxi for $100 million, which isn’t beyond reality given Funderbeam estimated their valuation at $112 million late 2016 and if they had 10 percent secured as employee share options, then the purchaser would have had to pay millions in tax.” Muller says this is not the first time a multinational tech firm has acquired a successful and growing New Zealand tech firm. According to the recent TIN Report 16 percent of New Zealand’s leading tech exporters have some international ownership. “They continue to invest into these local entities, often for the R&D capabilities, employing more than 5000 people. Not only are they good export earners and employers, the proceeds of the sales usually find their way back into the local tech ecosystem. “When the owners of TradeMe cashed up many of them invested into Xero to help the next big tech story grow. Other examples of global players still invested in New Zealand include Allied Telesis, BCS Group, Dynamic Controls, Intergen, Skope and Schneider Electric. “In tourism, New Zealand has been rated one of the top 10 hot spots to visit in the world in 2018, we will soon see in the coming years that, per capita, New Zealand becoming one of the top 10 tech countries in the world. We are not just rugby and tourism anymore,” Muller says.

|  A MakeLemonade release  ||  October 30,  2017   2017   |||

30 Oct: The world’s most profitable company is set to receive up to $25 million per year in corporate welfare grants, thanks to Callaghan Innovation’s ‘growth grant’ programme. Last week it was revealed that the Apple bought PowerbyProxi, a major recipient of the R&D grants.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “First it was money for Larry Ellison’s Oracle, then French company Gameloft, and now Apple is getting in on the action. Our Government’s corporate welfare schemes make New Zealand a laughing stock. We pay for R&D and don’t even require the results to stay in New Zealand.” “Designed in California, funded by Kiwi taxpayers. Anything that results from the R&D ends up in the pockets of Apple’s shareholders. It’s nuts.” “Callaghan Innovation is trying to defend the grants by pointing out that they couldn’t have known the business would be bought by Apple. But that’s mischievous. Korean giant, Samsung, has owned a substantial equity stake since 2013.”

| A Taxpayers Union release  ||  October 30,  2017   |||

30 Oct:  Managed funds will soon be included in a new NZ financial product comparison site that already aggregates information on all KiwiSaver schemes, mortgages, credit cards and loans.

Launched in the last month, Pocketwise – whose founders include SavvyKiwi chief, Binu Paul, and Richard Dellabarca, the recently-appointed head of the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund – has an ambitious plan to corral a broad range of financial products and other consumer services (including mobile and broadband plans) inside its digital perimeter.

According to the Pocketwise website, the service offers consumers “extensive analysis” across the product suite with online tools designed to “help you narrow down and find the best product to suit your situation or lifestyle, and achieve your financial goals”.

Paul, who launched the KiwiSaver comparison site SavvyKiwi three years ago after long stints at Nikko Asset Management and FundSource, said Pocketwise aims to include all products in each class for comparison.

However, unlike the SavvyKiwi service (which is currently funded solely from subscriptions) he said Pocketwise does accept commission from providers.

“But regardless of whether a provider pays us a commission or not we will include every product in every category,” Binu said, with clear disclosure of remuneration to Pocketwise clients.

He said the commission structure would not influence the comparison algorithms.

As well as Paul and Dellabarca, Pocketwise founders include former ASB Digital technology specialists Prashant Trivedy and Santhan Kusam Venkata. The four are shareholders and directors of Fintech Solutions, a company formed this June.

Paul is also convener of the pioneering NZ financial technology conference, Finnotec, slated for a sequel appearance this week.

He said despite shifting Finnotec to the larger Langham Hotel venue in Auckland (after selling out the Hilton at the inaugural 2016 event) the conference had almost filled up.

“We’ve got a few places left but demand has been high,” Paul said. “As well as top-quality local speakers, people are keen to get access to the offshore fintech expertise that we’re presenting.”

A handful of tickets were still available via the conference website as at late last week.

Finnotec, set down for this Friday at the Langham, features speakers from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, US and Latin America as well as local experts.

The 2016 conference was the first NZ event to address the burgeoning fintech sector.

| An InvestmentNews NZ release  ||  October 30,  2017   |||