The latest New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) Survey of Business Conditions completed during September 2016, shows total sales in August 2016 increased 8.65% (year on year export sales increased by 11.32% with domestic sales increasing by 4.49%) on August 2015.
In the 3 months to August, export sales decreased an average of 3.2%, and domestic sales decreased 0.6% on average.
The NZMEA survey sample this month covered NZ$314m in annualised sales, with an export content of 62%.
Net confidence rose to 22, up from 6 in July.
The current performance index (a combination of profitability and cash flow) is at 100.7, up from 98.7 last month, the change index (capacity utilisation, staff levels, orders and inventories) was at 101, up from 100 in the last survey, and the forecast index (investment, sales, profitability and staff) is at 109.2, up on the last result of 107. Anything over 100 indicates expansion.
Constraints reported were 67% markets, 11% production capacity, 11% skilled staff and 11% capital.
A net 33% of respondents reported productivity increases for August.
Staff numbers for increased 4.72% year on year in August.
Supervisors, tradespersons and, managers, professional/scientists and operators/labourers reported a moderate shortage.
“August has seen export sales bounce back into year on year growth of 11.32%, after two months of sales decreases, resulting in an average monthly fall of 3.2% in the three months to August. This is positive to see, particularly after the low result of -20.48% fall in year on year export sales in July. Domestic sales also showed improvement, after being relativity flat for most of 2016, growing 4.49% in August. Domestic sales decreased an average of 0.6% in the three months to August.” Said Dieter Adam.
“Manufacturers felt a boost in confidence in August, up to 22 from 6 in July, as well as increases across all three indexes measures, performance, change and forecast. The forecast index has hit the highest result seen since May 2004 – suggesting that looking forward, manufacturers and exporters are feeling confidence about the future, despite the ongoing global uncertainty. Within this measure, a net 72% of respondents are expecting a rise in their investment in plant and equipment in the next 12 months, and a net 72% are expecting a rise in average wages.
“Staff numbers in August increased 4.72% compared to the same month last year. This was the largest increase in staff numbers felt since June 2014.
“In terms of constraints on growth, market conditions remain the largest reported constraint, at 67% - this is slightly down on the 75% seen in July. This reflects the exchange rate level remaining at an overvalued position and continued uncertainty in some export markets.” Said Dieter.
For results table and historical series, click here.
CHR® Cling Films Tapes that Don't Stick
Now available in New Zealand through SWF Distribution, a product range that has multiple uses and application. From providing protection to surfaces through to being able to print onto the surface, the CHR Cling Films are a premium quality product that is designed to be easily removed and leave no adhesive while also being able to withstand surface temperatures of 218 degree C.
The Managing Director of SWF Distribution Mr Ross Eathorne says he is very enthusiastic about this product now being available through his company.” Being a Saint-Gobain manufactured product you can guarantee that it is of a premium quality with excellent performance criteria.” Eathorne adds.
Think about the ability to have temporary advertising or promotional information on your front windows or on inside surfaces and when you are finished with it you just pull it off. No more scrapping signwriting off for your staff.
You can reach Ross on 09 441 0040 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Zealand’s beleaguered developer ready with major global tech breakthroughs
Kim Dotcom might have faded in New Zealand, his adopted country that wants to evict him. But he is on fire in Europe with his Megaupload2 product which threatens to introduce a startling new tech innovation in the form of the marriage of file and money handling.
His new Megaupload2 product devolves into BNK2TheFuture (banking in the future) and Bitcache which is under the co-development of Englishman Simon Dickson of Bitcoin, writes our European correspondent.New Zealand’s latest information technology product takes the global IT industry into an entirely new sphere in terms of block size processing. The blocks being the size of the chunk of machine language that can be processed in any given split-second.
Traversing the block size bottleneck will give the new Megaupload2 the ability to process the mass micro finance/ file sharing transactions that gave its Mark 1 version Megaupload five percent of the world file sharing market.
According to Kim Dotcom the unique selling proposition of this new version from the user point of view will be complete security in terms of user identity and of content.
The scheme is to bestow economies of scale on content transactions in the entire news and publishing sphere which according to Mr Dotcom have both suffered from a mechanical inability to simultaneously issue something and then get paid for it.
In Europe Mr Dotcom is known as “Washington’s Most Wanted Pirate.”
He was originally settled in New Zealand, though nobody wants to talk about it, in order to ginger up the entire information technology sector which enjoyed a promising commercial start in the 1970s.
But since then the sector has declined into an import added value one. Or into sectors such as games where New Zealand has taken on a sweat-shop role.
In blending micro finance and file transfer Mr Dotcom, if still a New Zealand resident, will make up a troika of New Zealand international computer pathfinders. The other two being Leslie John Comrie of Papakura who invented the computer bureau and Bill Phillips of Dannevirke who invented computer modelling .
If Mr Dotcom can solve the block size bottleneck his place in volume trading and thus in IT history will be assured.
Meanwhile in the role of a prophet decidedly without fame in his own country, or at least, his ungrateful adopted one, Mr Dotcom may see certain changes in his favour in the New Zealand –United States relationship.
It will be recalled that for reasons that remain unexplained to this day, the original Megaupload server farms were located in the United States.
This gave the FBI the power to pull the plug on the entire Megaupload service. Then launch a campaign to extradite Mr Dotcom to the United States in order to face piracy charges.
What followed was the most picaresque series of judicial events in New Zealand history complete with a bizarre airborne storming of the Dotcom digs in suburban Auckland.
Mr Dotcom says that his new venture will attract the most “brilliant” information technology practitioners, and that he will remain constantly in the background guiding its fortunes.
From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk - Monday 10 October 2016
New Zealand’s beleaguered developer ready with major global tech breakthroughs
Kim Dotcom might have faded in New Zealand, his adopted country that wants to evict him. But he is on fire in Europe with his Megaupload2 product which threatens to introduce a startling new tech innovation in the form of the marriage of file and money handling.
His new Megaupload2 product devolves into BNK2TheFuture (banking in the future) and Bitcache which is under the co-development of Englishman Simon Dickson of Bitcoin, writes our European correspondent.New Zealand’s latest information technology product takes the global IT industry into an entirely new sphere in terms of block size processing. The blocks being the size of the chunk of machine language that can be processed in any given split-second.
Traversing the block size bottleneck will give the new Megaupload2 the ability to process the mass micro finance/ file sharing transactions that gave its Mark 1 version Megaupload five percent of the world file sharing market.
According to Kim Dotcom the unique selling proposition of this new version from the user point of view will be complete security in terms of user identity and of content.
The scheme is to bestow economies of scale on content transactions in the entire news and publishing sphere which according to Mr Dotcom have both suffered from a mechanical inability to simultaneously issue something and then get paid for it.
In Europe Mr Dotcom is known as “Washington’s Most Wanted Pirate.”
He was originally settled in New Zealand, though nobody wants to talk about it, in order to ginger up the entire information technology sector which enjoyed a promising commercial start in the 1970s.
But since then the sector has declined into an import added value one. Or into sectors such as games where New Zealand has taken on a sweat-shop role.
In blending micro finance and file transfer Mr Dotcom, if still a New Zealand resident, will make up a troika of New Zealand international computer pathfinders. The other two being Leslie John Comrie of Papakura who invented the computer bureau and Bill Phillips of Dannevirke who invented computer modelling .
If Mr Dotcom can solve the block size bottleneck his place in volume trading and thus in IT history will be assured.
Meanwhile in the role of a prophet decidedly without fame in his own country, or at least, his ungrateful adopted one, Mr Dotcom may see certain changes in his favour in the New Zealand –United States relationship.
It will be recalled that for reasons that remain unexplained to this day, the original Megaupload server farms were located in the United States.
This gave the FBI the power to pull the plug on the entire Megaupload service. Then launch a campaign to extradite Mr Dotcom to the United States in order to face piracy charges.
What followed was the most picaresque series of judicial events in New Zealand history complete with a bizarre airborne storming of the Dotcom digs in suburban Auckland.
Mr Dotcom says that his new venture will attract the most “brilliant” information technology practitioners, and that he will remain constantly in the background guiding its fortunes.
From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk - Monday 10 October 2016
Auckland travellers will have the opportunity to fly to Bangkok on a double-decker A380 for the first time when Emirates starts its service to the Thailand capital at the end of this month.
And it will launch the new route with special introductory fares from $999 Economy Class return.
Emirates will be operating five daily A380 flights from New Zealand from October 31, and among them will be its new Auckland- Dubai service via Sydney and Bangkok.It will be the only service to Thailand from New Zealand featuring the flagship A380 aircraft and the only same-plane daily service from New Zealand to Bangkok.
Emirates will also be offering special fares to other popular points in Thailand – Phuket from $1,049 return, Chiang Mai from $1,099 return, and Koh Samui from $1,149 return. The connecting flights from the capital to these destinations will be by Bangkok Airways.
The introductory fares will be on sale from today only until October 17*.
Emirates Skywards members can also take advantage of the recently introduced Cash+Miles offering, which allows customers to book a seat on any Emirates flight, in any class, and pay with a combination of cash and Skywards Miles.Passengers in all classes can enjoy the unparalleled quietness of the aircraft and the 12- time award-winning ice in-flight entertainment system with a choice of over 2,500 channels on-demand. Those travelling on the A380 can stay easily connected to family, friends and colleagues with up to two hours’ free onboard Wi-Fi.
As with all Emirates flights, passengers benefit from a generous baggage allowance of up to 35kg in Economy Class, 40kg in Business Class and 50kg in First Class and are able to check-in for their flights up to 48-hours before departure.
Bookings can be made through www.emirates.com/nz on freephone 0508 364 728, or through authorised travel agents.
*Various travel dates and other conditions apply.
Labour Market Statistics (Income): June 2016 quarter
Median weekly earnings from paid employment rose $44, to reach $924, between the June 2015 and June 2016 quarters, Statistics New Zealand said today. This increase of 5.0 percent was the largest annual increase since the June 2007 quarter. Paid employment includes both wage and salary earners and self-employed people.
“A rise in the proportion of full-time wage and salary earners, and the number of hours being worked, together pushed up median earnings for workers,” labour and income statistics manager Mark Gordon said. Full-time workers (working 30 or more hours) typically have higher weekly and hourly earnings than people in part-time employment.
Workers living in Auckland, Waikato, Gisborne/Hawke's Bay, and Canterbury received significantly higher median weekly earnings from paid employment than a year ago. In the North Island as a whole, earnings increased 7.0 percent (up to $944 a week), compared with 2.0 percent (to $880 a week) in the South Island.
“While the increase in weekly earnings is similar to that before the 2008 economic downturn, increases in hourly wages were more modest,” Mr Gordon said. “Median hourly earnings from wages and salaries increased 2.9 percent, similar to increases in the past seven years, but well below the 6.1 percent increase 10 years ago.”
Labour Market Statistics (Income): June 2016 quarter – for more data and analysis
Widely used technology routinely ignored in New Zealand claims process engineer.
European technology that converts milk and meat processing plant effluent into self- contained waste consuming and energy generating plants is now available in New Zealand.Napier industrialist Ken Evans said the technology allowed milk and meat processing plants to become their own standalone waste treatment units with the added advantage of these plants using the waste so consumed as their own source of energy.
As an example he cited large scale milking centres in Europe that were self sufficient in power simply because all the waste they generated was converted into electricity.He said that the era in which factories could discharge their waste in any volume or in any proportion into the public domain should have ended many years ago. It was now time to apply a readily available solution, and one widely used internationally, he said.
The problem he said was that there had not been the concerted nationwide will to do something about process waste finding its way into the water system.This he said was itself a by-product of uncertainty about the ability of technology to cope with the problem.
“You look at the situation today in which vehicles that drive themselves are now on the roads. Yet we still have copious amounts of concentrated waste matter allowed to penetrate the nation’s water system.”
He said that waste-to-energy plant technology in primary processing had been allowed to be placed in the “too hard” basket.
He said that the conservation lobby had allowed itself to become over-focused on international issues at the expense of seeking solutions to problems in what he described as the nation’s “back yard.”
He said that he would now ensure that milk and meat processors in New Zealand were acquainted with this waste-to-energy solution that was so widely used in Europe. His objective he said was to make New Zealand’s processing plants their own waste consumers, and thus their own energy suppliers.
It was he said a relatively low cost solution, and one with its own pay-back. This proven technology was now readily available in New Zealand backed by his specialists with the experience to install it.
From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk - Monday 5 September 2016Ken Evans can be contacted on phone 64 6 843 0632 , mobile 64 027 293 2678 and by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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