ISTHMUS won world landscape of the year for 2016
Bapcor gets OIO approval to buy Hellaby, says it's confident of topping 50% acceptances
While you were sleeping: Stocks ease from records
New contract wine bottling company The Bottling Company opens in Marlborough
Diesel engines will help environment, KiwiRail says
Kiwi kitchen renovator pushes into US market
Alliance established to rebuild Kaikoura coastal route
KiwiRail cans electric trains on partially electrified North Island trunkline, goes with diesel
Sealegs wins injunction against rival system
NZ dollar briefly drops below 69 US cents as weaker dairy auction results posted
Faultlines: Calls for greater transparency around seismic engineering
Kopupaka Reserve in Auckland, New Zealand designed by Isthmus has been named World Landscape of the Year 2016 at the World Architecture Festival this year. The project is a hybrid park, where a storm water reserve has been combined with an urban park, playground and skate park, all made possible by dovetailing the masterplanning of the streets with the green infrastructure of the 22-hectare reserve.
Judges praised the project as ”a successful translation of Maori traditions that succeeded in being both poetic and imaginative in its creation of a landscape that captures the soul and nature of the area.”
”Inspired by woven baskets for catching eel, Isthmus has developed an innovative river-wall system of interlocking timbers. Simple yet sophisticated engineering allows the baskets to retain silt and create habitats which will shift and change over time,” jury said.
David Irwin, Founding Directore, Landscape Architect, and Grant Bailey, Director, Landscape Architect, attended to present the scheme to the WAF’s international jury. The finalists were selected from 58 countries.
| Continue to full article here | Nov 21, 2016 |
Nexans NZ is warning about non-compliant imported cables as its main competitor prepares to quit manufacturing early next year.
The New Plymouth-based company will be the largest manufacturer of electrical cable following General Cable's decision to close its Auckland sales centre and Christchurch factory with the loss of 170 jobs.
The closure was disappointing because local manufacturing provided certainty about standards, Nexans general manager Michael Pienaar said.
| Continue to full article | Dec 21, 2016 |
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith has today announced the latest round of successful recipients of the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia (PMSA).
A total of 156 New Zealand students have been selected to study, carry out internships or conduct research at top institutions throughout Asia as part of the first 2016/17 scholarship round. Successful applications came from universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, and private training establishments.
“The PMSA is designed to encourage New Zealand students to study in Asian countries and experience the benefits of international education for themselves.
“Since the establishment of the PMSA programme in 2013, 907 New Zealand students have been awarded a scholarship to study in a variety of Asian countries,” says Mr Goldsmith.
Students will study in 11 countries, with China, India and Japan the top three destinations this round.
Of the successful recipients, 69 students will take part in a variety of programmes ranging from a Long Term Chinese Language Programme at Beijing Language and Culture University, a one-year exchange to Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, and an Internship at the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials in Cambodia.
A further 87 students were awarded a scholarship as part of seven group applications.
Funding for the PMSA of $9 million over five years was initially provided in Budget 2013 as part of the Government's Internationally Focused Growth Package. Additional funding was granted in Budget 2016 of $1m for each of 2016/17 and 2017/18, and $1.5 million per year from 2018/19. The total awarded this round was $1,401,657.
Applications for round two of the 2017 PSMA opened mid-December 2016, and close 30 March 2017.
Further information, including the names of the scholarship recipients, is available here: Education New Zealand website.
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith has today named the first students to receive a Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Latin America (PMSLA).
Thirty seven top students from across New Zealand have been chosen for the first round of 2016/17 scholarships, with a total value of $250,000.
“The new scholarships aim to introduce more young New Zealanders to Latin American countries and cultures, as well as build connections that will benefit New Zealand into the future.
“Latin America is becoming increasingly important to our nation from a trade and enterprise perspective. International education experiences help young Kiwis develop cultural awareness, understanding and skills that enhance our country’s ability to work in this part of the world,” says Mr Goldsmith.
The twelve individual scholarships go to students undertaking a range of programmes, including an exchange to Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia, and a study-abroad semester at the Universidad Austral de Chile in Chile.
Two groups have also been awarded scholarships. Twelve students from Massey University will to travel to Colombia for a month-long programme, Latino Aotearoa: Spreading the Word Across the Pacific. Thirteen students from the University of Auckland will travel to Brazil to carry out a month-long Brazilian Visual Cultures - LATINAM202 programme.
The PMSLA programme is modelled on the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia, which has supported 907 New Zealand students with study, research or internships in Asian countries since its introduction in 2013.
The programme is funded as part of the $761.4 million ‘Innovative New Zealand’ 2016 Budget package.
Applications for round two of PMSLA opened mid-December 2016 and close 30 April 2017. Another $250,000 will be allocated to students in this second round.
Further information, including the names of the scholarship recipients, is available on the Education New Zealand website.
Transport Minister Simon Bridges has announced the establishment of a new alliance to repair State Highway 1 and the rail line north and south of Kaikoura.
The alliance, known as the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR), is being led by Duncan Gibb, formerly of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT).
The alliance is made up of the NZ Transport Agency, KiwiRail, Fulton Hogan, Downer, Higgins and HEB Construction.
“The alliance will be the lead delivery agency to repair the transport infrastructure damaged during the earthquake. These organisations have been heavily involved in the emergency response to date and will be able to keep momentum to help Kaikoura and North Canterbury to recover as quickly as possible,” Mr Bridges says.
The work of the NCTIR alliance will mainly consist of rail and road network reinstatement between Oaro and the Clarence River, and the management and operation of the State Highway Corridor between Picton and Christchurch via Murchison and Lewis Pass.
“With access restored to the alternate route and on State Highway 1 to the south already we’re making great progress, however other parts of the network have been significantly damaged and there’s a massive repair job ahead,” Mr Bridges says.
“An alliance is a proven way to deliver high quality results for major infrastructure projects, especially where there is a high level of complexity. We have seen this demonstrated with SCIRT which has done an outstanding job on the Christchurch rebuild.”
Last week the Government announced it would fund the complex repairs to the transport system, estimated to be up to $2 billion.
New Zealand’s unadjusted annual net gain (more arrivals than departures) of migrants was 70,400 in the November 2016 year, Statistics New Zealand said today. This slightly surpasses the previous annual record of 70,300 set in the October 2016 year.
“The annual net gain in migration came from an increase in migrant arrivals combined with a decrease in departures,” population statistics manager Jo-Anne Skinner said. “People arriving on work visas made up a third of all arrivals.”
Migrant arrivals numbered 126,700 in the November 2016 year, a new annual record. Visa types contributing the most were:
Migrant departures were 56,300 in the November 2016 year.Visitor arrivals set new record
Visitor arrivals numbered 333,600 in November 2016, setting a new November record. The latest month’s figure was up 11 percent from November 2015.
In the November 2016 year visitor arrivals hit a record 3.45 million, up 12 percent from November 2015.New Zealanders depart on highest-ever number of overseas trips
New Zealand residents set a new annual record of 2.58 million overseas trips in the November 2016 year, up 8 percent from the November 2015 year.
In November 2016, New Zealand residents made a record 208,400 trips overseas, up 14 percent from November 2015.
Beef and lamb exports fell in November, as the amount of meat sold dropped heavily compared with last year’s record season, Statistics New Zealand said today.
Meat and edible offal exports fell $158 million (31 percent) from November 2015, contributing to a $219 million (5.4 percent) fall in overall exports.
Beef exports fell 41 percent in value and 31 percent in quantity, and lamb exports fell 27 percent in value and 23 percent in quantity.
“Beef exports to the United States, our top beef export destination, fell by around half when compared to November last year” senior manager Jason Attewell said. “When compared to the same month of the previous year, the value of beef exports to the US have fallen in nearly every month since October 2015, only rising once in April 2016.”
Lamb exports to the European Union (our top lamb export destination) fell in November 2016, with the United Kingdom seeing significant falls in value and quantity.
After removing seasonal effects and irregular movements, meat exports have fallen 31 percent from their peak in September 2015. The fall was mainly due to lower quantities, but lower prices also contributed.
Total exports in November 2016 were $3.9 billion, while imports were worth $4.6 billion.
Seasonally adjusted exports in November fell almost 12 percent from October 2016, more than reversing a 9.3 percent gain in the previous month. Seasonally adjusted imports fell 9.0 percent in November after a slight rise in October.
The monthly trade balance was a deficit of $705 million (18 percent of exports). For the year ended November 2016, the annual trade deficit was $3.2 billion.
Managing director Andrew Darling discusses the decision to rollout Darling Group – the new overarching brand connecting Global Fresh New Zealand and Australia, Just Avocados and JH Leavy & CoFamily. Fresh. Fun. It’s the tagline of newly formed brand Darling Group, which incorporates long-established businesses Global Fresh New Zealand, Global Fresh Australia, Just Avocados and, most recently, JH Leavy & Co.
Since acquiring the Brisbane-based wholesaler JH Leavy & Co in July 2016, the group of companies decided it needed an overarching brand for its horticultural operations, which range from growing and packing to exporting, sales and marketing, as well as distribution and logistics.
“We engaged a brand specialist in New Zealand, where we went through a process of looking at our core values, what we represent, and what we’re trying to achieve,” explained managing director Andrew Darling. “And through that process we came out with our brand – Darling Group.”
The tagline ‘Family. Fresh. Fun – Australasia’s favourite fresh produce family’ reflects the group’s family involvement in the business, not only with Andrew Darling, his sons Jacob, Nathan and Andrew’s brother Michael, but also in its familial approach to business, including its relationships with staff and customers.
Some of the brands under Darling Group include Mr Avocado, Mr Kiwi and a soon-to-be-released blueberry brand, reflecting some of the fun side of the family-owned vertically integrated business.
As a significant grower of kiwifruit and avocados in its own right, Darling said the group understands the needs of growers, and the requirements from packing to exporting, importing to wholesaling, bringing efficiencies throughout the value chain.
“Because we’re integrated through the value chain, we can operate efficiently while having total transparency of cost, and we control the sale – this is our point of difference and we’re striving for outstanding grower outcomes through our use of high performing, experienced people,” Darling explained.
With state-of-the-art ripening facilities and 4,500m2 of warehousing space, the acquisition of JH Leavy & Co has significantly upped Darling Group’s scale and capability.
“One of the challenges of operating out of New Zealand is that we are constrained not only by the range of commodities that we have available but also the volume of these commodities that we can produce in respect to international marketing opportunities,” Darling said. “So these were some of the real drivers to set up in Australia, and here we now have a broad base of commodities with a real Australian platform and presence.”
The next step for the group will be consolidating until it fully understands the breadth of its new business arm, maximising its wholesale, warehousing, distribution and service provision, including ripening, with a look to start taking the business to retailers in the coming 12 to 24 months.
“The way of the future is with direct supply to retailers, so that’s an obvious place that we’ll begin to seek business with our raft of commodities,” Darling said.
The breadth of commodities that Darling Group now has access to, as well as the scale, not only creates opportunities for the business in Australia, but also in Asia.
“There are opportunities to take healthy, safe and high quality food from Australia to Asia; as the middle class grows in India and China, and people are becoming more connected with internet and mobiles, and increasingly seeking healthy safe food, we’re well positioned in Australia and New Zealand to cater to that demand for high quality fruit.
“I see providing high quality produce to affluent, top end retailers and the middle class as a massive opportunity,” Darling continued. “It’s exciting – produce, generally, is an exciting industry to be in and it’s full of passionate, hard working people, which makes it fun and a great place to be.”
The full interview with Andrew Darling appears in the summer edition of Produce Plus, and the December/January edition of Asiafruit.
| A presss releas from Asia Fruit | Dec 21, 2016 |
Sealegs signals global expansion plans with new name
Alliance established to rebuild Kaikoura coastal route
KiwiRail cans electric trains on partially electrified North Island trunkline, goes with diesel
Sealegs wins injunction against rival system
NZ dollar briefly drops below 69 US cents as weaker dairy auction results posted
Faultlines: Calls for greater transparency around seismic engineering
Charges filed over ‘made in New Zealand’ claims about NatureBee supplement
Rakon shares soar on buy-in announcement
While you were sleeping: Record rally continues
Southlander oversees trampoline manufacturing in China
Taranaki company breaks into the defence industry with new surf-mapping technology
Sealegs get High Court injunction to protect technology ahead of lawsuit
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