NEW ZEALAND logistics company C3 runs an operation hauling woodchips from sustainably- grown plantations in southern Western Australia to Albany Port.

The company runs a range of IVECO Stralis models for the job. The Stralis prime movers operate five days per week, averaging more than 400km per day, with the majority of the plantations they service located within a 130km radius of Albany.

Along with the WA-based fleet, C3 also operates several trucks from the city of Portland in south-western Victoria in the same application but configured as B-doubles.

C3 has invested in more than 20 Stralis trucks across several years, comprising of the earlier series AS-Ls and four new AS-L Series II models that have been added in recent months.

C3 Albany operations manager Craig Fildes said some of the first Stralis prime movers on fleet were now approaching a million kilometres.

These were fitted with Cursor 13 engines producing 500 horsepower and the smooth-shifting EuroTronic II 16-speed AMT.

"We began using Stralis AS-L prime movers around six years ago. Some of these are still being used and now have over 800,000km showing,” Craig said.

"When it came time to grow the fleet in this application, we opted to continue using AS-Ls, purchasing four of the latest Series II models in March.

"This time we went for the higher engine output and worked with IVECO to select the best GCM.

"The AS-Ls allow us to work at our desired target of 90 tonnes, which helps productivity.

"The AS-Ls do quite an amazing job, they are a good all-round fit for the application. They're comfortable, quiet, they're easy to work with and are competitively priced.

"A lot of the roads the trucks travel on, especially in the plantations, as you could imagine are not very nice, the trucks can take a battering, but the IVECOs handle it well.

"The drivers are also happy with them, especially with their comfortable, quiet cabin.”

The latest AS-L Series II prime movers feature a 560hp, 13-litre Cursor engine coupled to a ZF Eurotronic II 16-speed transmission.

| An IpswichTimes release  ||  19 September,  2017   |||

 ROTA tanks, manufactured locally by Rotomould (Solomons) Ltd, are the first and only water tanks in the Solomon Islands to be certified to international quality standards – the ISO Type 5: AS/NZS 4766 standards.

In a statement on Tuesday Rotomould Group of Companies Managing Director, Prakash Chand said the company has always been absolutely committed to providing high quality products for customers.

“Receiving this international certification and quality mark is a formal recognition of the high quality standards we adhere to,” Mr Chand said.

AS/NZS 4766 is an Australian and New Zealand Standard for polyethylene water tanks, to ensure tanks have been properly designed and manufactured to last the length of their warranty life.

Certification to AS/NZS4766 provides independent assurance of a manufacturer's claim that their products comply with this standard.

Leisa Donlan, CEO of the Association of Rotational Moulders Australasia (ARMA) said that it is important to note that not every manufacturer chooses to certify their products.

“The commitment being shown by Rotomould (Solomons) Ltd to meeting this standard exhibits global leadership in ensuring high quality products are available, made locally and meeting the most stringent requirements in the world,” he said.

For a polyethylene tank manufacturer to receive certification for AS/NZS 4766, tanks are put through a rigid set of tests to ensure that they comply.

As a finite resource, water has to be valued more significantly.

The government spends a considerable amount of money on accessing water supplies and the installation of water storage systems to help supply clean drinking water to the population.

Mr Chand said the Solomon Islands government has financed these projects because water is the single most precious building block to development.

“We cannot sustain life without it; we cannot sustain communities without it. But when communities have ample water, they thrive.

“Their health, their farming, their economy all can steadily improve when water is readily available,” he said.

Rotomould (Solomons) Ltd (RSL) is a local company which manufactures polyethylene water tanks under the brand name of Rota Tanks in sizes ranging from 500 liters to 10,200 liters capacities using rotational moulding technology.

This is the latest technology in the water tank manufacturing process widely used in the developed nations of the world.

Established in 2005, RSL was one of the first companies to introduce rotational moulding technology in the Pacific through its subsidiary companies in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, and Vanuatu.

| A Solomon Star release  || July 12,  2017   |||

RAISING

A

ROCKET

"I want to make  space accesible"

Peter Beck chats withAnna Isaac

  AN INTERVIEW:     Previous Clips

With a second rocket planned for launching from the Mahia Peninsula  also in Hawkes Bay another Rockit is on it's way to dominate a world market if the CEO of Rockit Global, John Loughlin has his way.

Unlike Peter Beck's rocket this Rockit is much smaller and delivers a huge sweet taste but like the Mahia Rocket it is  winning it's fair share of awards.  This last week Rockit Global, who grow the Rockit apple, were named ExportNZ Hawke's Bay's ASB Exporter of the Year.

Theres more to the Bay than just the weather!   AUTHOR:  MAX FARNDALE:   Previous clips

When the All Blacks win the country  feels good.

When TeamNZ win you can add inspired to that.  Inspired from not only a sporting perspective but an industrial one as well.  Design, engineering, manufacturing the whole spectrum of industry were involved.

Involved not only for TeamNZ but for the oppostion's Goliath, Oracle as well.  Quite unique really with  many a David working within a stones throw of each other toward developing what each believed would be the winning vessel. 

In the end David won.  A win that has left a legacy for not only our younger sailers to follow but also for those who will populate the factory floors of New Zealand in the future.

Congratulations to all involved in bringing the Auld Mug back to New Zealand.  A superb team effort.

AUTHOR:  MAX FARNDALE:  Previous Clips

Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson has released a review into the waste disposal levy.

The review makes three specific recommendations to support targeted investment in areas that will return the greatest waste minimisation outcomes:

Strategy - develop a clear vision, strategy and set of outcomes for the future direction of the waste disposal levy. Data - invest in developing a national waste data collection and evaluation framework that targets key information to prioritise waste issues and measure the effectiveness of the waste disposal levy. Approach - develop and implement a staged approach to applying the waste disposal levy across additional classes of landfills.

“In coming years, the focus will be to encourage businesses to rethink the design of their products and systems in order to reduce the harmful impacts of wasted resources.

“The Waste Minimisation Fund will continue to invest in meaningful projects that provide waste minimisation outcomes. Further support will also be provided to territorial authorities to invest in the infrastructure needed to lift effectiveness in collecting and processing recoverable, valuable resources in their communities.”

“The overarching approach will remain to work with our partners to reduce the environmental harm associated with waste, whilst also providing social, economic, and health benefits.”

The $10 per tonne waste disposal levy was introduced in 2009 under the Waste Minimisation Act and applies to waste deposited at defined landfill facilities. The Minister is required to review the levy’s effectiveness every three years. Since it was introduced, the levy has raised more than $192 million which has been distributed to national and local initiatives to reduce waste.

Related Documents

Review of the Effectiveness of the Waste Disposal Levy 2017

| A Beehive release  ||  July 3,  2017   |||

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith today announced the recipients of the latest Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) funding round.

202 New Zealand students from universities and institutes of technology have been selected to travel to top institutions throughout Asia as part of the second 2016/17 scholarship round.

Individual recipients and groups of up to 20 students will carry out a wide variety of student exchanges, undergraduate or postgraduate study, research or internships.

“The recipients of these scholarships will be ambassadors for New Zealand as they head overseas and form global connections that will last a lifetime,” says Mr Goldsmith.

“Since it was set up in 2013, the PMSA has enabled more than 1,100 New Zealand students to experience an international education in Asian countries.

“Building new connections and networks, developing a deeper understanding of language and culture, and gaining an international perspective in their area of expertise are just some of the benefits for these students.”

The recipients will study in 10 countries throughout Asia, with China, Japan and Singapore the top three destinations in this funding round.

Study programmes for the 59 individual students include a one-semester exchange at National University of Singapore, an internship at the Hong Kong office of a global law firm, a Master of International Studies at Seoul National University in Korea, and two years’ postdoctoral research at the Institute of Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

A further 143 students were awarded a scholarship as part of 12 group applications.

Annual funding for the PMSA increased to $3 million in 2016/17, and is due to increase to $3.5 million in 2018/19, reflecting New Zealand’s growing education connections with Asia and the high calibre of applicants. The total value of the scholarships awarded this round is $1.6 million.

Applications for the first 2017/18 PMSA will open on 16 June 2017, and will close on 30 September 2017.

Further information, including a full list of the scholarship recipients, is available HERE

| A Beehive release  ||  June 12,  2017   |||

Ports of Auckland has successfully moved two 1,100 tonne cranes to ready Fergusson Container Terminal for bigger ships and automation.

Fergusson Terminal has five cranes. The two older, smaller cranes were lifted off their rails so the three newer, larger cranes could be positioned at the north of the terminal, where they will be able to work bigger ships. This massive job was done in between customers at the busy terminal.

Ports of Auckland's CEO Tony Gibson paid tribute to the company's highly skilled engineering team who worked closely with crane manufacturing company ZPMC to carry out the project. "We run a very busy terminal, so getting this job done quickly and with minimum disruption to shipping was essential. It's a bit like doing knee surgery at half-time and then getting your player back on the field for the second half," he said.

The relocation means that the cranes are now positioned well to work on the bigger ships calling Auckland's port. This means a more efficient container terminal and a port that can cater to Auckland's growing freight demand.

"More people in Auckland means more imports and more shipping. This work is one part of our investment in the automation of our container terminal which will meet that growing demand. This phase of automation gives us enough capacity to handle the freight for an extra million people in Auckland – 30 to 40 years of capacity," says Mr Gibson.

Partial automation of the Fergusson container terminal will be a game-changer for Auckland's port, ensuring extra terminal capacity without reclamation. The technology will allow the port to handle up to 1.7 million TEU each year (1 TEU = 1 20ft container equivalent); enough to support an Auckland population of around 2.7 million. Future technology will give the port additional capacity to serve a regional population of 5 million – more than three times the current population.

| A POA release ||  May 31,  2017   |||

Racketeers apply two-prong scare threat pincer

 Overseas scammers have stepped up their assault on domestic New Zealand internet users in a two-fold pincer movement. The first pincer is a series of telephone calls that seek to alert the user of the perils that they face from the existence on their computers of unwanted bugs of various descriptions.

This is run in harness now with the placement on the computer of an actual bug that talks back to the user and alerts them to the existence on their computer of viruses in the spyware category that have turned up on the target’s computer the existence of pornography of the most diabolical description.

The threat amounts to--- “you’ll be in trouble if you are caught with this.”

This is then bracketed by more telephone calls that are always from an international 0909 prefix number or 0988. The 0909 prefix is that of Ireland while the 0988 number is a “spoofed” prefix used by telemarketeers to avoid detection.

Computer service houses say that this new concerted campaign has caused immense distress among their more elderly users who are unaware of the measures that such scammers will go to in order to be paid to “fix” the “problem.”

The racket last reached a crescendo two years ago and in recent weeks has again been in ramp up mode in New Zealand.

The objective of the racket is to get the user to open up access to their machine via a series of set-piece instructions which allows the racketeer to secure access as and when required over the longer term to the domestic computer.

The landline-driven racket operates on the assumption that any household that still operates a landline will also be the home of an internet-linked computer and which will therefore run Microsoft applications.

The phone callers stick to their routine even if the recipient explains that they do not have a computer in the first place.

The racket operators are human and are trained to deal with objections including those of the most hostile nature.

Their task is to keep the householder talking with a view to eliciting information that may be useful later on, and which will ideally convince the target to follow their instructions.

The post-prefix numbers are scramble encrypted which means that householders who ring back are greeted by an invalid beep-beep-beep signal.

The cold callers always claim to represent Microsoft or be Microsoft “certified” technicians.

The racket is itself two-fold with the target being persuaded to transfer money to the imposters in order to have the viral infection eliminated and/or to get the access to the user’s bank pass codes.

The racketeers will seek to have “fee” money remitted them via an independent wire transfer service which from their point of view makes the transaction harder to trace, and from the target’s point of view means it can never be recovered.

The addition of the sequestration of the talking spyware into household computers with its vocalised threats introduces a new and heightened level of intensity in the racket.

Netsafe should be a first port of call from those under harassment from the racketeers -0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)

Meanwhile scareware, , as the malware implants are known, and quite recently upgraded to the talk-back delivery, has become increasingly applied by the international criminal gangs behind these rackets.

The scam follows a common pattern. A pop-up shows what appears to be a security scan that falsely detects dangerous or illegal files or programs. In some cases, the bogus warnings say there is porn on your computer. The malicious software may even display pornographic images on the screen. And those pop-up warnings won’t stop until your click the button that says “register now” or “remove all threats.”

Those who do that wind up on a site run by the cyberthieves. It says you need to buy their antivirus program — which is fake — to fix the security problems.

|  From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  ||   Friday 5 May 2017   |||

In 2012 it was reported, based on a Public Trust survey, that over half of New Zealanders over the age of 18 don’t have a will! Since that time it appears little has changed, as Public Trust referred to the same statistic in its 2016 Annual Report. It’s even worse for younger people, where 66% of 25 to 39 year olds don’t have a will.

Given that wills are so important, how can this be?

Public Trust thought that part of the problem is that many people believe that if they die without having made a will, their entire estate would automatically go to their partner, so they wouldn’t need a will. Of course that is not what actually happens, and there is a need for ongoing education on the need for a will and the issues that can arise without one.

Younger people may also believe that don’t have any assets, which is unlikely to actually be the case at the time they die, particularly when KiwiSaver is taken into account.

There are likely to be other reasons though:

• A large one will be the actual or perceived cost of seeing a lawyer. The reality is that traditional legal services simply cost too much for many normal people. As James Greenland wrote in his excellent article on the access to justice gap, Mind the Gap, “You can't pay $500 per hour when you earn $500 per week”.
• Wills are an emotional thing to do, and people might feel more comfortable exploring their options before they commit to formalising and signing a will. As Public Trust's Alex Polascheck was reported to have said, drafting a will was "quite an emotional thing to do" and sometimes people found it too difficult.

Over the past few months we’ve been looking hard at this issue with leading wills and trusts lawyer Matt Hay, of Succeed Legal. We just didn’t feel that the existing situation is anywhere near good enough, and wanted to do something about it.

Then we hit on an idea. At LawHawk we have been wanting to create a free document that anyone can use, without obligation, to see just how powerful our HotDocs document automation solution really is. Rather than create a pretend document people could play with, we thought why not create a real will that anyone can use for free in the privacy of their own home? That would resolve any issues of cost or emotional difficulty. They can play with various options, and see what their will might actually look like in real time.

Try our free will now

Of course there’s a concern that non-experts using a real will could get themselves into trouble, which is why there’s a need for expert advice and we still want to see people using lawyers for wills. Maybe more will if they know it will be easy and affordable. We decided to strip out some of the more complex options which are in our paid version that is better suited for lawyers to use, and to make it really easy for people to get help from Matt and his team at Succeed Legal, or any other law firms that would like to work with our will to offer high quality advice to will makers at great value.

Lawyers - join our legal directory here

Most wills – particularly for those who currently don’t have them - are likely to be quite simple, and would involve the will maker giving everything to their partner, or if they had also passed away, to their children. Additionally, the will maker should make clear who will be guardian to any minor children, and what they want to happen to their body. This is all possible within the completely free version.

Available until 30 April

We’re planning to run the free will as a trial until 30 April to see how it goes. We would love to see as many people as possible try the will during that time and, if they’re happy with the outcome, drop those terrible numbers of people without wills.

The system – both free and paid versions - is also open to any lawyers and trustee companies who would like to use it. Please just get in touch if you have any questions, and we are happy to offer training so you can provide your clients with high quality and efficient additional advice.

The intestacy process costs both time and money, and lack of clarity as to the will maker’s intentions can lead to ugly family disputes. This could make a real difference to the lives of many New Zealanders. If you know anyone who doesn’t have a will, or whose will may no longer be up to date, please encourage them to do something about it this month. It will only take a few minutes, and there is no cost. What is there to lose?

|  A LawHawk release  |  March 26, 2017   |||