25 Oct:  Food manufacturers looking for pallet wrappers that deliver speed, reliability, economy and safety need look no further than the Octopus Ring Pallet Wrapper from Signode.  The last step of many food manufacturing processes, pallet wrapping helps ensure products are not only secure and ready for shipping but also that they arrive at their final destination in good condition.

Businesses which use pallet wrappers want the process to be completed with a minimum of fuss and without putting staff in physical danger. In summary, they are looking for machines that are reliable, accurate, fast and safe.

Haloila, a member of the Signode Industrial Group, has been manufacturing the Octopus automatic rotary ring stretch wrapper for over 30 years. With over 6,000 units installed world-wide, these high speed systems are capable of wrapping up to 135 pallets an hour.

“Businesses which use the Octopus want to achieve a higher level of reliability, whether to cope with their current demand, or due to increased production necessitating a faster solution,” Andre de Wet from Signode (the exclusive suppliers of the Octopus range in Australia and New Zealand) told Food & Beverage Industry News.

Fully automatic, the machines employ the “Octopus ring method”, whereby the wrapping film reel is suspended from a ring and it revolves around the pallet. The ring is raised and lowered according to the wrapping program.

Continue to read the full article here  ||  October 25,  2017   |||

25 Oct:  The New Zealand meat industry could be hit by fallout from the tense and divisive Brexit negotiations.  It seems that the UK and the EU, in a desperate attempt to reach agreement, are poised to breach World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules over a long-standing agreement NZ has for sheepmeat access to the EU which includes – at this stage – the UK.

The NZ meat industry had become aware that the UK and EU have reached a deal to arbitrarily split the 228,000 quota to the EU, with 45% going to the UK and the rest to Europe. However, the original agreement has been ratified by the WTO and needs the approval of all parties to the agreement and the WTO to make changes.

What has annoyed the the Meat Industry Association and Beef + Lamb NZ is that the UK and EU have seemingly done this deal without consulting NZ, which is illegal under WTO rules.

“Taken at face value this is not a positive sign,” says BLNZ chairman James Parsons. “We want to put our views on the table.”

Continue to the full article on RuralNews  ||  October 25,  2017   |||

Cryptocurrency hardware company Ledger has partnered with Intel. The partnership involves the implementation of Ledger’s BOLOS operating system into Intel’s Software Guard Extensions secure storage products.

Through the integration, Intel aims to offer more secure cryptocurrency storage to consumers.

This partnership will allow users’ private keys to be stored in an Intel secure enclave, lowering the risk of software attacks.

Ledger said the solution will first be implemented within cryptocurrency software wallets like MyEtherWallet and Electrum.

“Working with a leading player like Intel is a unique opportunity to keep providing our growing client base with innovative solutions for cryptocurrency and blockchain applications,” said Ledger.

| A MYBROADBAND RELEASE  ||  OCTOBER 25,  2017   |||

Many New Zealanders are buying into the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) as it is creeping into many walks of everyday life.

New Zealand needs to actively embrace artificial intelligence at a faster rate as an extraordinary opportunity and challenge for New Zealand’s future, Artificial Intelligence Forum of New Zealand (AIFNZ) executive director Ben Reid says.

AI has a growing impact on the daily lives of all New Zealanders.

In the near future, it is likely to accelerate at an unprecedented pace, resulting in major changes to NZ's economy, society, and institutions.

Precision Driven Health (PDH) is one organisation spearheading AI changes across NZ in the health sector.

PDH is a seven-year $38 million academic research group aimed at improving health outcomes through data science and is a finalist at the NZ Innovation Awards.

Reid states, “Globally, hospitals have been slow to adopt robotics and artificial intelligence into patient care, although both have been widely used and tested in other industries.

“However, surgeons are already using intelligent robots in the operating theatre to assist with surgery.”

In the business world, examples include the Xtracta App, which uses machine learning to read documents such as invoices, receipts and sales orders to insert data directly into accounting software.

Reid continues, “Soul Machines latest project with Air New Zealand is another great example of the potential of AI or digital humans in customer service.

“Soul Machine’s robot, Sophie, the digital human, has advanced emotional intelligence and responsiveness and can answer questions about New Zealand as a tourist destination and the airline’s products and services.”

“Soul Machines is creating some of the world’s first emotionally responsive and interactive digital humans.”

However, despite the advancements, corporate New Zealand and government have yet to engage significantly and start building an in-house capability to develop AI tech.

Boards and senior management teams are still coming to get to grips with the major impacts that AI presents as part of their organisation's strategy.

The use of AI technologies could lead to greater productivity, enhanced social good and the creation of new fields of work.

But AI also presents risks, these could include greater inequality and unemployment from disrupted industries and professions.

Reid concludes, “We have a duty to seek a deeper understanding of New Zealand’s potential as an AI-assisted economy and society, to ensure AI is a positive part of New Zealand’s future.

“The AI Forum brings together business, academia and the government connecting, promoting and advancing the AI ecosystem to help ensure a thriving New Zealand underpinned by technology.”

| A FUTUREFIVE RELEASE ||  OCTOBER 25,  2017   |||

Housing Minister Phil Twyford has revealed to the Herald the first in-depth details of the incoming Government's new $2 billion KiwiBuild scheme, explaining how 100,000 new residences will be built in the next decade.

So-far-unknown details about precisely how, when and where the much-vaunted Labour initiative is planned to become a reality have been announced, giving details of a plan to fulfil tens of thousands of New Zealanders' long-ditched home ownership dreams.

The just-announced Housing Minister told the Herald how labour, skills and land shortages in the over-stretched, under-delivering, under-resourced high-priced housing market were planned to be resolved by his regime which will change immigration laws and form public private partnerships with business like Fletcher Residential and Mike Greer Homes.

Read more . . .

Source:  NZHerald ||  October 25,  2017   |||

Senior Labour Party MP David Parker has emerged as a linchpin in the new coalition Cabinet, taking the pivotal economic development, environment and trade portfolios that will connect him to key ministers in both the New Zealand First and Green parties.

| A Beehive release  ||  October 25,  2017   |||

Inland Revenue’s new IT system, implemented in February for their GST services, has been a disappointment, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union. According to official data from IRD, the time spent handling GST related enquiries increased by 50% when the system was first introduced in February earlier this year. As of August, months after implementation, there was still a 20% increase in wait times compared to the previous year. Matthew Rhodes of the Taxpayers’ Union says, “The point of investing in a new IT system was to make services more efficient at IRD, but this data shows taxpayers are receiving a worse service after the new system was introduced.” "Many callers can’t even get to the hold tone. When the system was introduced in February, it faced so much pressure that nearly 2000 callers to the GST line were disconnected without even being put on hold. In the two months prior to implementation, that didn’t happen once." “Over 10,000 calls to the GST line were disconnected in May because IRD systems simply couldn’t cope. Inland Revenue either needs to train existing staff more thoroughly, or bring in additional staff during months they know will be busy. How the IRD is proposing to cut 1,500 jobs in this environment is astounding.”

| Source:  Taxpayers Union  ||  October 25,  2017   |||

Leading New Zealand technology developer, Gallagher, has won Product of the Year at the annual Australian Security Industry Association (ASIAL) awards in Melbourne. The winning product, Gallagher’s innovative Class 5 Intruder innovative Class 5 Intruder Alarms System, is designed for the high security market. Since its release in May this year, the Class 5 Alarms technology has received significant global attention and has been deployed around the world to protect the high-value assets and IP in data-centres, government and military facilities.

“As technology develops at a rapid pace, there is increasing demand for high security solutions capable of standing up to sophisticated attacks” said Steve Bell, Chief Technology Officer – Security, for Gallagher. “We’re extremely proud of the innovation behind our products, and are thrilled to have that recognised with this latest award from Australia,” said Bell.

Source:  Gallagher ||  October 25,   2017   |||

 Apple, the world's biggest technology company, has bought New Zealand wireless power developer PowerbyProxi for an undisclosed sum.  The change in ownership was confirmed by an Apple spokesman in an email, but he refused to provide any details or the terms of the agreement. Fairfax Media reported Apple senior vice president of hardware engineer Dan Riccio said the "team will be a great addition as Apple works to create a wireless future". PowerbyProxi officials were not immediately available for comment.

Company's Office filings show Samsung Investment Corp, the global investment arm of the Samsung Group owns 9.6 percent of the company, which was spun out of the University of Auckland, paying US$4 million for its stake in 2013. PowerbyProxi director Michael Pachos, who is also on the SVIC board, declined to comment on the sale to Apple, but did congratulate the PowerbyProxi team on his Linkedin page saying "I am proud to have been an investor and board member of PowerbyProxi."

Source:  ShareChat - read the full article  ||  October 25,  2017   |||