Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ) win of the America’s Cup is a tremendous sporting victory, but it is also a victory for brand New Zealand, particularly when it comes to shifting international perception of who we are as a country. While the common associations with beautiful scenery and amazing food are positive, we know that as a country, we have so much more to offer the world.
The America’s Cup has helped position us as a smart and innovative nation, filled with entrepreneurs and world-leading tech companies. That’s’ because off the back of ETNZ’s incredible win, there’s an extraordinary story to tell about some of the New Zealand companies whose technology has played a role in helping return the Auld Mug to our shores.
Exclusive Mfat report lays out case for pavilion in 2020, writes Nicholas Jones in The New Zealand Herald 20 Jul 2017
Emirates’ sponsorship of America’s Cup winners Team New Zealand was cited as part of a case for participation in a Dubai expo that will cost taxpayers $53 million, documents show.
Other factors cited for giving “serious consideration” to committing to Expo 2020 included growing defence and security links with the United Arab Emirates — which Dubai is part of — and the economic value of Emirates’ daily flights to New Zealand.
An October 2016 scoping update from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) said the UAE was a political partner in the region, not only from a trade and economic perspective but increasingly in defence and security.
“The UAE has a strong commitment to New Zealand, evidenced by its increased engagement, including development partnerships in the Pacific on renewable energy, investment (e.g. Precinct Properties and significant progress toward a new food security fund), and spon- sorship of Emirates Team New Zealand since 2004,” states the report, released to the Herald with other documents under the Official Information Act.
The Emirates Group is owned by the Dubai Government’s investment corporation.
The National Government put $5m into the recent Team NZ campaign. National criticised the thenLabour Government for agreeing in 2007 to put $38m into Team NZ.
The documents outline the incredible scale of the Dubai expo, which will run from October 2020 to April 2021.
New Zealand’s pavilion could host more than 4.5 million visitors.
The expo will be attended by about 25 million visitors, with up to 75 per cent expected from Germany, Britain, Russia, China, India and Africa.
The UAE will spend close to $12 billion on supporting infrastructure, including the world’s largest airport, 500 new hotels and five new amusement parks.
Act leader David Seymour has been critical of the expo spending, and said the reasons given to support it would make Robert Muldoon “cackle from the grave”.
“His ghost lives on with these silly ideas that all the New Zealand economy really needs is a few very clever politicians to spend our money in the right places,” Seymour said, adding that extreme wariness was needed when considering any cost-benefit analysis.
“You can prove anything if only you let the ever-widening circles of flow-on effects go wide enough.”
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee said the reference to the Team NZ sponsorship and other commercial and regional links were given as examples of the breadth and strength of the NZ-UAE relationship, and how the UAE has sought to strengthen those ties.
“Participation at Expo 2020 presents a unique opportunity to showcase New Zealand’s innovative products and services . . . our participation at Shanghai in 2010 was a huge success.”
The documents released by Mfat officials also said accepting the invitation would aid efforts to secure a free trade agreement with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).
Progress on getting the deal over the line has stalled after fallout between Qatar and other council members, but Brownlee said the Government’s focus on concluding an FTA hadn’t changed.
A Treasury panel pushed for a “small size” option to go to Cabinet, similar to New Zealand’s presence in Aichi in 2005 which cost $8m. The “modest” option of $53.24m was selected because it would enable hosting of visitors. New Zealand budgeted $30m for Shanghai.
Mfat officials noted the combined economic value to New Zealand of the five daily Emirates A380 flights is estimated to exceed $700m a year.
In an impact analysis, officials estimated being at the expo would mean a greater likelihood of more international flights coming to New Zealand, bringing forward the arrival of these flights from about 2025 to 2020.
Estimated benefits included an extra 1 per cent a year in inbound foreign investments from the GCC region and a boost to the number of international students and tourists from the region.
The analysis assumed not being at the expo would see the annual economic growth rate for foreign investment from the GCC drop from 4.95 per cent to 2.48 per cent for five years.
| A
release || July 20, 2017 |||
Following a two-year hiatus, the Google Glass augmented-reality headset has made a comeback, and is being targeted exclusively at businesses.
Google suspended sales of Glass at the start of 2015 in order to rethink its development.
But yesterday, the team behind the wearable made an announcement on Medium that after a two-year testing period, the headset – now named Glass Enterprise Edition – is being made available to all businesses.
This could see Glass become a competitor to other augmented-reality headsets already on the market, such as Microsoft's HoloLens, which is already favoured by the architecture and design industries.
"Glass, as you might remember, is a very small, lightweight wearable computer with a transparent display that brings information into your line of sight," project lead Jay Kothari wrote in the post.
"In a work setting, you can clip it onto glasses or industry frames like safety goggles so you don't have to switch focus between what you're doing with your hands and the content you need to see to do your job."
The updated design appears much the same as the original, but Kothari says the battery life is improved, and that it is lighter and more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
Kothari also revealed that a two-year testing period had seen over 50 businesses across the manufacturing, logistics, field services and healthcare industries implement Glass into their working process.
Among them were DHL, Boeing and Volkswagen, which all reported positive feedback from workers – something that prompted Google to make it a widely available business tool.
"We first saw signs of Glass' potential for businesses in the Glass Explorer days," said Kothari. "We're looking forward to seeing more businesses give their workers a way to work faster and in a more focused way, hands-free."
Augmented-reality tools are already being used in some architecture and design practices. Greg Lynn, who used Microsoft HoloLens to design his contribution to the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2016, told Dezeen that the technology was set to "change the way architects work".
Glass has proved controversial since it was previewed in 2013. After it was unveiled, the UK government considered banning drivers from using the augmented reality eyewear behind the wheel of their car.
In March 2014, the headsets hit the headlines again when a woman was attacked in a San Francisco bar for wearing the device and the technology was accused of "killing" the city.
| A deZEEN release || July 19, 2017 |||
Taking place in Brussels between 25-28 September, the printing specialist will display up to three narrow- mid-web in line UV flexo printing presses including the M5X, the M1 and the M6 lines.
Visitors to the stand will also learn about the range of web-fed solutions Bobst offers in the different segments of the label industry.
These include developments in CI flexo, gravure printing and lamination, which are suited for customers looking for efficiency in short run production.
As well as the inline flexo presses showing incremental innovations to continuously increase the equipment performance, Bobst also has a brand new development in store.
“It relates to packaging and we are keeping it under wraps,” said Matteo Cardinotti, managing director of Bobst Firenze and head of narrow & mid-web multi-process product line. “But mum’s the word until Labelexpo, when all will be unveiled during a dedicated event that will take place on the Bobst stand on the evening of the first show day, on 25th of September.”
| A Packaging World release || July 19, 2017 |||
End of car manufacturing in AustraliaHilco Industrial Acquisitions BV (www.hilcoglobal.com) has announced that it will lead the ‘disposition process’ for a massive machinery and equipment asset sale that will effectively shut down automotive manufacturing in Australia.
The sale is the result of Toyota Australia closing all its manufacturing operations — the last remaining automotive production facilities in the country.
This “unprecedented auto equipment sale” will include all the key production shops and vendors that have been part of car manufacturing in Australia for over 60 years.
All the equipment will be offered for sale via private treaty from the factory floors; it includes aluminium casting furnaces, engine line machine tools, assembly lines, robotic automation, presses, extruders, plastic injection moulding machines, welding lines and plant services.
Certain key machinery and equipment items will be offered for sale via an on-line auction, including maintenance workshops and general equipment.
The auction will be conducted by Grays Online, a joint-venture partner of Hilco Industrial Acquisitions.
| A MachineryMarket release || July 19, 2017 |||
Port Denarau Marina general manager Cynthia Rasch said: “It is a great opportunity for industry partners, marine businesses, yachts and agents to network and discuss one on one the latest marine products and services with leading marine operators under one roof.”
This year marks the second year running for this event featuring New Zealand based companies.
“We are expecting over 100 transient vessels to be present to take advantage of this information sharing event to assist them with their on-ward travel to New Zealand.”
Furthermore Peter Busfield, executive director of NZ Marine said the recent win of the America’s Cup promises significant gains for the wider South Pacific “and we expect it to be a topic of discussion whilst we are in Fiji.
“The New Zealand victory in the America’s Cup is a catalyst for South Pacific Superyachting including Fiji,” he said.
“The America’s Cup win will be a big benefit to New Zealand boating industry and the wider South Pacific region.
“During the 2000 defence Auckland hosted 95 superyachts and we would expect this number to exceed 120 for the next event. As many of these vessels will arrive via Fiji or Tahiti, there will be economic gain for each country.
“During the lead up we also expect to see more superyachts and charter companies focusing on the South Pacific as a cruising destination,” he said.
Emirates Team NZ dominated the final stage of the 35th America’s Cup, winning easily against Oracle Team USA.
The NZ marine industry built both finalists’ vessels – Oracle Team USA by Core Builders and ETNZ by Southern Spars.
Key suppliers to both teams have shown once again the capability of the New Zealand marine industry which is the country’s largest manufacturing sector outside of the primary producers.
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The Minister of Trade will launch the first academic survey of New Zealand's trade negotiations from the 1970s to the present in Wellington on Thursday, 20 July.
Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Stephen Hoadley, from the Faculty of Arts, has reviewed trade diplomacy from early attempts to sell beef to Japan to current efforts to secure free trade agreements with Europe, Britain, and the United States.
His subsequent book New Zealand Trade Negotiations details the setting of precedent in Closer Economic Relations with Australia in 1983 and then how a dozen more free trade agreements were negotiated successfully, all of which boosted New Zealand producers’ access to overseas markets.
“New Zealand has been a leader in trade liberalisation since we negotiated privileged entry to the European Economic Community in 1971,” says Dr Hoadley.
His book traces New Zealand’s successful FTA initiatives with Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, ASEAN, South Korea and Chile and its achievement of trade ‘firsts’ with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
After reviewing New Zealand’s participation in the World Trade Organisation, Dr Hoadley offers speculation regarding seven pending FTAs, the suspended Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the prospective Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Both the Hon Todd McClay, Minister of Trade, and Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director of the New Zealand International Business Forum, will help launch New Zealand Trade Negotiations at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Wellington.
Date: 20 July 2017, 5:30 – 7.30 pm
Venue: RHLT2, Rutherford House Victoria University of Wellington –
Pipitea Campus, 23 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Please register here
| A UOA release || July 18, 2017 |||
SANY Group, China's top construction machinery manufacturer, has made remarkable progress in Asia-Pacific region since entering the local markets in 2007. After establishing its branch office in Sydney, SANY continues to make substantial efforts to develop business in Australia.
SANY's vast range of products have participated in major projects in the Australian market. In Aug 2015, three 300 ton SANY crawler cranes were delivered to the Wheatstone LNG project in Ashburton North, Western Australia. As one of Australia's largest resource developments, it is expected to produce 8.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG that will power 1.8 million local homes with electricity.
In addition to super projects, SANY compact and medium excavators have been widely used in urban construction, agricultural and landscaping applications across Australia. After proving its unrivaled performance and reliability, SANY excavators have won the favor of Australian mainstream market of construction machinery.
Following the booming e-commerce business, SANY launched the mini excavator online sales in Australia and New Zealand in mid-May, which has attracted considerable attention of the local customers. When they visited SANY's manufacturing facilities in China, they were all impressed by the exceptional efficiency and value-adding features of the excavators.
"I have heard of SANY in Australia before. This time I examined its products in detail and found that they are very good quality machines," said Mr. Buckley.
In recent years, sticking to the "going out" strategy, SANY has made proactive efforts to expand in the global markets. Its overseas performance is growing by 20% each year, registering about 43% of the company's total revenue. Furthermore, SANY has entered new business sectors, such as wind energy, prefabrication and internet of things, boosting SANY's growth around the world.
About SANYSANY Group (SANY) is a leading global heavy machinery manufacturer with plants in the US, Germany, Brazil and India, and business covering over 100 countries and regions worldwide. The company has been recognized as one of the most innovative and successful companies in the world, and its concrete machinery is ranked No. 1 globally.
For more information, please visit: www.sanyglobal.com, or follow SANY Group on Facebook and YouTube.
| A SANY release || July 18, 2017 |||
Emirates and flydubai have unveiled an extensive partnership which will see the two Dubai-based airlines join forces to offer customers unmatched travel options.
Both airlines will continue to be managed independently, but will leverage each other’s network to scale up their operations and accelerate growth.
The innovative partnership goes beyond code-sharing and includes integrated network collaboration with coordinated scheduling. The new model will give flydubai customers seamless connectivity to Emirates’ worldwide destinations spanning six continents. For Emirates’ customers, it opens up flydubai’s robust regional network.
The two airlines will also further develop their hub at Dubai International, aligning their systems and operations to ensure a seamless travel experience through the ultra-modern airport; currently the world’s busiest for international passengers.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of flydubai, said: "This is an exciting and significant development for Emirates, flydubai, and Dubai aviation. Both airlines have grown independently and successfully over the years, and this new partnership will unlock the immense value that the complementary models of both companies can bring to consumers, each airline, and to Dubai.”
Emirates, which flies A380s four times daily from New Zealand to Dubai and beyond, today has a wide-body fleet of 259 aircraft, flying to 157 destinations (including 16 cargo-only points). flydubai operates 58 New-Generation Boeing 737 aircraft to 95 destinations. The current combined network comprises 216 unique destination points.
The partnership is working to optimise the networks and schedules of both airlines, to open up new city-pair connections offering consumers greater choice. Additionally, this will help both airlines feed more traffic into each other’s complementary networks. By 2022, the combined network of Emirates and flydubai is expected to reach 240 destinations, served by a combined fleet of 380 aircraft.
The Emirates and flydubai teams are working together on a number of initiatives spanning commercial, network planning, airport operations, customer journey, and frequent flyer programmes alignment.
The partnership will be rolled out over the coming months, with the first enhanced code-sharing arrangements starting in the last quarter of 2017. Further details will be communicated as they become available.
Fully owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), both Emirates and flydubai are operated independently and under separate management teams.
About flydubai
Since launching its operations in 2009, flydubai has:
Otago Polytechnic is investing in Central Otago’s educational future with a new Trades Hub and student accommodation for its Central campus.
Construction will begin once consents are obtained on the new 600 square metre trades building at Bannockburn Road. It will house Automotive and Carpentry programmes, classrooms, offices and a common room. There will also be a platform for the construction of a four-bedroom house that the students will build. This is stage one of the proposed campus redevelopment project, which is a move from the current location to a new facility on Otago Polytechnic’s Bannockburn Road site.
Head of Central Otago Campus, Alex Huffadine, says the polytechnic is very excited about bringing a Trades Hub to Central Otago.
“There’s a real skills shortage in the trades industry. By offering trades-based training here at Central campus, we really hope to solve that problem with well qualified graduates and, at the same time, help our students into a fantastic career,” he says.
He adds that Otago Polytechnic’s two new trades qualifications (the New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3) (Carpentry) and the New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Engineering (Level 3)) will both be taught from the Trades Hub which is expected to be finished by the end of term one in 2018.
With a shortage of accommodation in Cromwell, Otago Polytechnic has also committed to building self-contained student accommodation at its Molyneux Avenue site. Stage one of the accommodation will include four houses with up to five bedrooms per house.
Mr Huffadine says accommodation is an important part of Otago Polytechnic’s growth in the region.
“We hope accommodation onsite removes the barrier of rental shortages in Cromwell. This offers a safe and easy option for our students.”
The first phase of student accommodation will be available for students studying in 2018.
The construction of both builds is currently out for tender.
Read more about studying at Otago Polytechnic's Central Campus.
Read about this in the Otago Daily Times.
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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