Nov 10 2017  -  BONN: As Energy Day gets under way at the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn today (Friday, November 10), influential and international businesses from a wide range of sectors are driving emissions cuts by leading the way on electric transport, energy productivity and renewable power.  Four major businesses from three different continents have today joined The Climate Group’s global electric vehicles campaign (EV100), and pledged to transition to electric transport by 2030. They include the airline Air New Zealand, Mercury – the New Zealand electricity retailer and generator, Dutch engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV, and the Japanese shopping mall developer AEON Mall.

Also new today, one of India’s leading cement producers, Dalmia Cement, has announced that it is already almost half way to doubling its energy productivity by 2030 (using a 2010-11 baseline) as part of The Climate Group’s EP100 initiative.

And the international consultancy and construction company, Mace, which strives to create more sustainable cities and communities, has today joined The Climate Group’s RE100 campaign with CDP, committing the world’s most influential companies to 100% renewable power. The UK-based company is aiming to achieve 100% renewable electricity globally by 2022; and 75% by 2019.

RE100 members are now creating demand of up to 153 TWh of renewable electricity annually – more than enough to power Poland.

The news follows announcements earlier this week from UK-based HSBC, which has joined RE100 with a commitment to sourcing 100% renewable power by 2030. US bank Wells Fargo also announced that it has achieved 100% renewable electricity through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) to power its over 90 million square feet portfolio, and is now working to achieve its 2020 goal to transition to net new sources of renewable electricity.

Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, championed the role of business in driving a zero-emissions economy: “It’s fantastic to see continued leadership from companies on climate action – commitments like these are smart business decisions that future-proof operations and boost the bottom line.

“EV100 members are helping to wean us off polluting petrol and diesel while RE100 members are increasing demand for renewable energy. Together with EP100 commitments that enable companies to get more out of the energy they use, leading companies are shaping our global energy market for the future and helping to accelerate the emissions reductions needed to deliver on the Paris Agreement.”EV100 – new joiners

As part of its ambitious sustainability initiatives, Air New Zealand has taken a leadership position in the shift to EVs, and has already transitioned 100% of its light vehicle fleet and electrified more than half of its heavy airport service vehicles.

Christopher Luxon, CEO, Air New Zealand, said: “At airports and on the roads, our EVs are literally driving a call to action for the business community to commit to more sustainable options. By investing in EVs, we’re helping to increase both supply and demand for electric transport and charging infrastructure – a move which will ultimately make EVs a mainstream sight in New Zealand.”

Mercury has already transitioned every vehicle in its fleet that can be practicably converted to electric (80 out of 114 vehicles), and now 870 employees at nearly 20 sites drive one of the largest EV fleets in New Zealand. Mercury, with others, also helped bring the Electric Highway to New Zealand with the peer-to-peer EV charger location app, ‘Plugshare’.

Fraser Whineray, CEO, Mercury, said: “Now that we’ve converted every vehicle that we can to EVs, our mission of Energy Freedom inspires us to support the electrification of transport throughout New Zealand. Around 90% of New Zealand’s electricity is produced from clean renewable sources so it’s a winning formula for drivers, for business, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. Mercury is part of a movement in New Zealand and globally through membership of EV100.”

Between them, Air New Zealand and Mercury have instigated a landmark corporate initiative, influencing over 30 leading New Zealand organisations and businesses to pledge to transition their fleets to at least 30% electric in the next three years.

Royal HaskoningDHV announced in September that it would transition to 100% EVs. Under EV100, the company has committed its leased fleets and service contracts, and is supporting the uptake of EVs by its 6,000 staff and customers in over 150 countries. The company will transition its fleet, just over 500 cars, in the Netherlands by 2021, and internationally by 2030. Currently the fleet holds 20 plug-in hybrids and 30 100% electric vehicles. All employees with plug-ins and 80% of those with EVs have a charger installed at their home.

Erik Oostwegel, CEO, Royal HaskoningDHV, said: “In recent months, as a means of controlling climate change and air pollution, various governments announced measures to phase-out diesel or petrol-driven vehicles. As an innovative company, we want to be a frontrunner in developments relating to sustainability and mobility of the future. We provide advice to clients concerning sustainable mobility and the energy transition. These two elements converge in electric driving. For us the move to 100% electric vehicles is a no-brainer and all companies should do this. The trend is clear. Let’s use our time efficient and stop talking and take action.”

AEON Mall is supporting the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) by its customers, and has been installing charging facilities at each of its 152 shopping malls across Japan since 2008. Already the company has installed 751 EV chargers in 135 malls in Japan, and plans to have installed them at 143 malls by 2018. In China, the company has so far installed 348 chargers at six malls. AEON Mall was recruited to EV100 via Japan-CLP, a regional engagement partner for the campaign on behalf of The Climate Group.

Yoshiharu Umeda, Senior Managing Director, Administration Division, General Manager, AEON Mall, said: “We have taken the lead in introducing advanced approaches such as utilizing solar photovoltaic energy, building recharging stations for electric vehicles, and increasing the greening of shopping centers. Such approaches have also become acknowledged in recent years as a new value of a commercial facility. We will promote the creation of people-friendly, environment-friendly malls and strive to be Asia’s No.1 specialized commercial developer by gaining support from local residents and society. That’s why we are joining EV100.”

| A Climate Group release  ||  November 10,  2017   |||

Nov 10, 2017  -  Reinforcing its leadership position in the shift to electric vehicles, Air New Zealand has been announced as the first airline to join The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative. The global not-for-profit works with businesses and governments around the world on initiatives that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EV100 is its new global programme which aims to fast track business uptake of electric vehicles, encouraging organisations to use their buying power and influence to build demand and ultimately help reduce the cost barrier to mainstream use. Earlier this year Air New Zealand completed the transition of its light vehicle fleet to EVs and the airline’s Head of Sustainability Lisa Daniell says seeing its EVs on the road is a visible reminder of its commitment to more sustainable options. “Electric transport offers a major solution in cutting millions of tons of greenhouse emissions worldwide. Having led the way in New Zealand it’s exciting to be part of a global initiative committed to making EVs the new normal.” Sandra Roling, Head of EV100 says The Climate Group is delighted Air New Zealand is joining EV100 as the first airline in the campaign. “The company’s commitment to rolling out electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in its own operations, as well as its leadership in motivating other companies to do the same, sets a crucial example for making electro-mobility the new normal.” Air New Zealand also initiated a landmark corporate pledge with Mercury Energy and Westpac New Zealand in 2016, which will see 30 New Zealand companies transition at least 30 percent of their fleet to EVs by 2019. The Climate Group announced Air New Zealand’s membership of EV100 on Energy Day of the United Nation’s 2017 Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.

| An Air New Zealand release  ||  November 10 2017   |||

Will serve as a wake-up call to naïve New Zealand media.

10 Nov 2017  -  The Washington Post piece claiming that the Jacinda Ardern – led coalition is a rightwing conspiracy will have the positive effect of persuading at last the legacy media in New Zealand to cease accepting anything in the Washington Post or in its attitudinal sister the New York Times as if their observations were holy-writ.

The unquestioning devotion to these two dailies by the old media and by the New Zealand foreign service apparatus has only recently been demonstrated as a perilous path simply because it is so misleading.

It was these two dailies that persuaded, for example, and beyond any shadow of doubt the New Zealand diplomatic arm, that Hillary Clinton would win the presidential election. Several damaging and indeed foolish foreign policy thrusts were based on the prognostications of these two newspapers.

The two newspapers’ single-minded determination to signal virtue has a commercial underpinning that is quite simply not understood in New Zealand.

The Washington Post is controlled by the same people who control Amazon, the digital publishing and distribution outfit.

It’s market is in a bracket defined by well-to-do individuals in the Category A marketing sector and this requires targeting those in youth and earlier middle age---and who have what is known as “discretionary spending” capability which means they are well-to-do.

The New York Times which is shedding circulation has a similar imperative in order to attract subscribers in this category and the advertiser who need to reach them.

The New York Times was once a newspaper of record, but the controlling Sulzberger family in recent years has twisted and turned to find a circulation-building approach to this Category A bracket.

The smearing of deputy coalition leader Winston Peters, especially in term of his supposed racism, is designed so that the more Mr Peters seeks to deny it, the more in fact he becomes enmeshed in the smear.

No longer under the guidance of its long time controlling family, the Graham dynasty, the Washington Post has lost any restraint in its mercantilist move for market share.

The branding of any government or the individuals which represent it as extremists is a carefully calibrated piece of virtue signalling.

It is all the more powerful in the case of New Zealand.

This is because the Washington Post marketing directorate believe that it will be taken seriously here and thus they will achieve pick-up and bounce-back into other markets.

Contrary to a naïve yet widespread belief in New Zealand, and one especially held by the legacy media here, their counterparts in the United States have little operational understanding of who governs here, and what they represent.

The extremist smear is like the racism one in that the more the targets of the smear seek to explain themselves, the more they get caught up in the original smear.

The piece is a wake-up call to the New Zealand media and the nation’s diplomatic service.

Neither are able to comprehend the zero-sum nature of the United States media and its intense mercantilist focus which transcends the kind of fair-and-balanced reporting that remains the touchstone here.

The result is that an attention-seeking and virtue-signalling piece such as the one claiming that the new coalition is an extremist and racist one in the past anyway has succeeded in obtaining extensive and unquestioning pick up here.

| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ||  Friday 10 November 2017   |||

9 Nov 2017  -  In 2015 Zespri’s technical team and Everfresh NZ, represented by Ernst Slabbekoorn (EMS NZ and AUS representative), identified a clear need for a rugged and very reliable analyser to monitor ethylene in the post-harvest and transport of kiwifruit.

EMS has had significant experience in developing in house high end analysis equipment for the fresh produce and flower industries. Jan-Kees Boerman from EMS was convinced that the analysers designed could perform under extreme conditions and able to measure very low concentrations (parts per billion, ppb-range) required to store kiwifruit.

Zespri as a leading marketer of kiwifruit chose to put the EMS analysers to the ultimate test and at the same time conduct a thorough test in an independent lab. For the test in the field a number of analysers were placed on board different vessels to monitor ethylene levels and ethylene production and the additionally these analyzers were fitted with O2 and CO2 to monitor respiration.

Zespri Technical Manager, Frank Bollen, with more than 20 years of experience with ethylene measurements, mentioned the outcome of the reports and the results of the field test "a fantastic job" referring to the level of detection of EMS ethylene analysers.

Both tests have had outstanding results and Zespri is now in the process of investigating how to integrate the analysis equipment in their supply chain. This commitment has led to an ongoing relationship between 2 companies which are operating at the highest level.

The EMS MACView® can be used everywhere to keep track of the valuable product throughout the supply chain wherever location. EMS analyzers can be used for cool store, reefer and warehouse monitoring even in the middle of the ocean. Data is synchronized to a web portal which is enables global access to all data.

| An EMS release  ||  November 8,  2017   |||

#8 -  This intelligentsia-driven flap was an offshoot of climatism and a forerunner of the Peak Oil panic. The contention was that the greater the distance the final consumer was from the food that they were consuming that each mouthful was responsible for a correspondingly greater consumption of transport oil and thus spread of carbon dioxide from the combustion process.

The position nowEconomies of scale proved that this equation, the one relating fuel consumption to distance to plate, flawed. The scurrying around of delivery vans on roads was seen to be less oil-burning per- plateful than shifting food around in container ships which had the added advantage of reducing road usage.

| MSC Newswire Big Frights of Our Times Series #8  || Thursday 9 November 2017   |||

9 Nov 2017  -  New Zealand’s exports in semi-processed casings are set to resume in the next few weeks following successful talks between New Zealand and China. Semi-processed casings are thin tubular cases used as sausage skins. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says trade discussions have been successful.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries and Chinese authorities have successfully completed talks to enable exports of semi-processed natural casings from New Zealand to China to resume.

“In 2013, New Zealand voluntarily suspended exports in semi-processed casings in response to discussions with Chinese authorities about the processing steps for these casings.

"New Zealand was able to provide information to Chinese authorities and work with them on revised certification requirements to enable trade to resume next month,” says Damien.

“International trade is built on good working relationships between countries and I’m pleased that trade in semi-processed casings will resume soon.

“Natural casings from New Zealand have traditionally been in high demand in China.

“New Zealand currently exports fully processed casings to China. Access for semi-processed casings will provide industry with opportunities to increase export value and returns.

“China will be a significant market for our semi-processed casings, with exports expected to exceed $100 million.

“This progress is further demonstration of the positive relationship New Zealand shares with China."

8 Nov 2017  - On day one in the House, Labour struck a deal with National to save face, but the consequences of that deal could mean a difficult three years for the government writes Lynda Walters for Stuff today.

On Tuesday, during the election of the Speaker of the House, National caught Labour off guard, suggesting the government didn't have the numbers to elect its nominated man, Trevor Mallard.

In what appeared to be a mad scramble, leader of the House Chris Hipkins conversed with Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson and NZ First's Ron Mark over how best to proceed.

Continue here to read the full article ||  November 8,  2017   |||

8 Nov  -  Auckland's largest trade delegation, totalling almost 100 delegates from 70 businesses, is convening in southern China for talks on growing the regional economy.  Also taking part in the Tripartite Economic Alliance Summit from Wednesday to Friday is host Guangzhou and Los Angeles.  "Businesses clearly see the advantage of interacting with our two sister cities at the summit," said Mayor Phil Goff, who is leading the Auckland delegation.

"Each are gateway cities to two of the most important and powerful economies in the world."

Mr Goff, Guangzhou Mayor Wen Guohui and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell will be among 830 representatives attending.

The Tripartite Economic Alliance, signed in November 2014, is designed to increase economic, trade and investment opportunities for local businesses.

"The summits provide real economic value and jobs to Auckland with deals ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars sealed as a result of the past two events," Mr Goff said.

Although Guangzhou will be the last of three summits, the parties have agreed to extend the relationship for three more years with opportunities for interaction outside the formal summit process.

| An NZN release  ||  November 8,  2017   |||

8 Nov  -  Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker says the Government will not shrink away from New Zealand’s leadership role on free trade - but it must be on our terms. Before heading to Apec, Parker spoke to Sam Sachdeva, Newsroom's Foreign Affairs and Trade EditorNewsroom's Foreign Affairs and Trade Editor about taking on “the excesses of globalised capital” and avoiding a public backlash.  Befitting his status as one of Labour’s policy wonks, David Parker has been handed an array of challenging roles.

The economic development and environment portfolios, both areas where the Government has some ambitious plans, would be challenging enough, with the Attorney-General position adding more work again.

Yet Parker’s toughest role may be as Trade and Export Growth Minister, where he will be tasked with satisfying the scepticism of supporters regarding free trade deals while placating exporters and the business community.

Early signs have been positive, with a ban on foreign buyers fulfilling Labour’s pre-election pledge without jeopardising TPP talks and existing trade deals (with the exception of Singapore). Yet tougher obstacles may lie ahead.

FTAs 'sexy' but not enough

Under the previous National government, trade ministers Tim Groser and Todd McClay made a virtue of signing New Zealand up to as many free trade agreements as possible.

The Trade Agenda 2030 strategy, unveiled by McClay earlier this year, set a target of having 90 per cent of New Zealand’s exports covered by FTAs.

Parker is less convinced, saying of FTAs: “They’re sexy but they’re not the be-all and end-all.”

“Exports could go down and you could still meet that [90 per cent] target - FTAs are not the driver of investment in the new products and services that we need to sell to the world.”

Continue here to read the full article on Newsroom  ||  November 8,  2017   |||

8 Nov 2017 -  Automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation issues facing the country could become threats, leading to increased social and economic difficulties and a strain on government resources unless they are immediately addressed, New Zealand’s tech leader say.  The TechLeaders executive has only recently just been formed because New Zealand is facing unprecedented growth and change in tech, which is now the nation’s fastest growing sector. TechLeaders from some of New Zealand’s biggest companies and organisations has been set up with the support of NZTech and is a group of New Zealand tech, digital and ICT focused-executives from leading organisations. They have just met in Auckland and all agreed AI and other digital changes will greatly impact on many of today’s jobs in coming years, as well as the income of many Kiwi families, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. “Automation will change just about every industry in New Zealand and over the next few years rapidly change the number and type of jobs available. If we act now to prepare the New Zealand workforce for these changes it may provide opportunities. “If left unaddressed these opportunities will turn to challenges and potential threats leading to increased social and economic difficulties and a strain on government resources. “The TechLeaders discussed how we can help prepare New Zealand’s future workforce. Being at the forefront of technology change these senior executives have insight into the pace of change and see critical elements in ensuring Kiwi families all have jobs in the future. “We need to ensure that our education system is developing the skills needed for a future workforce, in particular, an understanding of digital technologies and collaborative working practices. “We need to start developing policy and a national shared purpose around how to re-train or upskill current employees who work in jobs that may change or disappear rapidly due to technology. “Through the discussion a number of ways were identified where technology leaders and industry could play an active role in helping secure the future of work for Kiwis. “We must bring a stronger connection with education to help prepare students, support teachers and support the introduction of the new digital technology curriculum. “And we need to work with government to help reshape the national conversation away from the robots are taking my jobs to a more positive view that encourages upskilling.” TechLeaders chair David Kennedy says they have a responsibility as industry leaders to prepare future generations for what tomorrow holds. “We are well placed people to help tackle the difficult questions that need to be addressed to ensure future work for generations of Kiwis,” Kennedy says. “We all agree that tech leaders and industry have a role and responsibility to guide and support initiatives to retrain people for the new skills paradigm brought on by technological change. The development of the next generation of workers is also critical.” Among a series of recommendations, the leaders want to reduce fear-inducing messaging about everyone losing their jobs and robots taking over.

| A Techleaders release   ||  November 8,  2017   |||