Hyundai NZ to launch electric, eclectic and exciting small cars in 2017
Labour Party announces reshuffle
While you were sleeping: Wall St, greenback rally
Ministers get set for weekend Cabinet reshuffle
Biggest property deal of year: $1.1b sale proposed
Single tender let for oil exploration
Weekly OverView with Tony Alexander
KiwiRail responds to TAIC report on Aratere
$200 million dairy factory proposed for Otorohanga
NZTE Export News - 15 December 2016
NZ manufacturing softer in November: PMI
What happens when Australia's construction dries up?
Fonterra arranges $300m facility with Bank of China
Asahi Beverages, comprising some of Australia and New Zealand’s most successful beverage businesses, including Schweppes Australia, Asahi Premium Beverages, Independent Liquor and The Better Drinks Co., has awarded Dematic a contract to build a high bay warehouse storage facility.
The warehouse in Heathwood, Queensland, will consist of a satellite storage solution containing six aisles of six-deep satellite ColbyRack capable of storing 28,000 pallets. The automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) will include six new Dematic RapidStore Storage Retrieval Machines (SRMs) with Dematic’s latest “free roaming” Automover satellite carts. The solution will also feature Skate Auto-loading Truck Docks, a pallet conveyor system, stretch wrapper, automatic barcode labelling, and a full case picking area.
“Dematic was selected by Asahi Beverages as their preferred logistics integration partner following an extensive tender process that assessed experience, comprehensiveness of offering, and local capability,” said David Rubie, Dematic’s Manager of Industry Logistics. “We look forward to working with Asahi Beverages to deliver a supply chain solution that is a core component of their ongoing success.”
“Our new Queensland high bay warehouse is another major step forward in the transformation of our customer centric logistics network,” said Tracey Wagner, General Manager, Logistics and Customer Operations, Asahi Beverages. “We are pleased to be working with an experienced integrator such as Dematic on this crucial program.
A look inside New Zealand's longest road tunnel and Auckland's Harbour Bridge alternative
Weekly OverView with Tony Alexander
KiwiRail responds to TAIC report on Aratere
$200 million dairy factory proposed for Otorohanga
NZTE Export News - 15 December 2016
NZ manufacturing softer in November: PMI
What happens when Australia's construction dries up?
Fonterra arranges $300m facility with Bank of China
Pioneering Taupo company goes into liquidation
While you were sleeping: Fed hikes, signals more ahead
Call for talks on manufacturing
On Nov 21, United States President-elect Donald Trump said in a short video message that he would move to withdraw "on day one" from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the US-led 12-member deal that excludes China and covers 40 per cent of world GDP and one-third of world trade.
He considers TPP a potential disaster and said: "Instead, we will negotiate fair, bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back onto American shores."
Trump's position confirms his central campaign pledge of focusing on "America First", which may imply that the US-established world order is close to its end after 70 years.
Hong Kong should seize the day if Trump opts out of TPP.
However, China is in a different position.
China became a member of the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and since then has deeply integrated itself into the world economy.
In 15 years, China's total GDP grew nearly tenfold and jumped from the world's sixth rank to No 2.
The stalled TPP puts China in the free-trade pole position and opens opportunities for writing new rules for international trade.
Earlier, speaking at the APEC CEO Summit in Lima, Peru, President Xi Jinping called on countries to speed up the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as the basis for building the broader Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) to pave the way for a more inclusive global economy.
RCEP excludes the US but includes 10 Asean countries plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea; it covers 32 per cent of world GDP and 30 per cent of world trade.
FTAAP includes the US and China and 19 other world economies; it covers 55 per cent of world GDP and 44 per cent of world trade.
How will all this affect Hong Kong?
We enjoy a strategic geographical advantage, a well-developed infrastructure and a superb international communication network. Plus we play an important role as entrepot for trade between the Chinese mainland and the world. In 2015 Hong Kong was the world's eighth-largest trading economy in goods and the seventh-largest exporter and importer.
Due to our close trade links with the mainland, any mainland trade growth or decline would inevitably affect Hong Kong. For example, in 2015 we were the second-largest trading partner of the mainland (after the US), with a trade value accounting for 8.7 per cent of its total trade; also we were the mainland's second-largest export market, taking up 14.6 per cent or US$331.6 billion (S$478.5 billion) of its total exports.
In the same year, the value of goods re-exported through Hong Kong from and to the mainland was US$410.3 billion, comprising 89.4 per cent of our total re-export trade value.
Such a strong mainland-Hong Kong trade relationship would ensure that if the mainland could benefit from the demise of TPP, such benefits would also accrue to Hong Kong.
The US-based Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates that TPP would increase trade activity between its member countries, while China's annual export loss would be about US$100 billion.
But this gloomy scenario presumably will no longer happen.
The likelihood is that if TPP fails and RCEP comes into effect, China would benefit by US$88 billion, according to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission's latest annual report, and Hong Kong would benefit accordingly.
So, can Hong Kong afford to stay complacent?
The answer is: "No."
We know that while the US economic loss presents opportunities for China as a whole, Hong Kong must also beware the economic difficulties that may result from a more protectionist environment.
Therefore, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) should ride the post-TPP tide and aggressively expand its bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.
First, Hong Kong must complete its negotiations with the Asean countries for a free-trade agreement.
Asean is economically the fastest growing group globally, and is our fourth-largest export market and second-largest trading partner.
The Hong Kong-Asean Free Trade Agreement, coupled with the mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), would provide a solid platform to facilitate trade and investment among Hong Kong and Asean countries and enhance our role as a regional trading hub.
This would also facilitate Hong Kong's partnering with Asean countries and companies participating in the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative which encompasses about 60 countries and covers 40 per cent of world GDP and over 60 per cent of world population.
Hong Kong's next major task is to work closely with the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a financial vehicle closely connected with the B&R Initiative.
After the AIIB was established at the end of 2015, 57 countries had signed its inter-governmental agreements.
As China's first multilateral financial institution, AIIB will provide new opportunities for countries both inside and outside Asia.
James Woolsey, a Trump senior adviser on national security, defence and intelligence, has said that the Obama administration's opposition to AIIB is a "strategic error".
He hoped Trump would be more enthusiastic about China's B&R Initiative. Perhaps we can hope that when Trump takes office in January 2017, there may be a US policy change favouring more US-China cooperation.
The author is an independent scholar and freelance writer. She is also the founder and president of the China-US Friendship Exchange Inc.
Cabinet has agreed to reinstate the coastal route to Kaikoura and will provide additional funding to speed up the process, Transport Minister Simon Bridges has announced.
The existing State Highway 1 and rail corridor along the coastal route to the north and south of Kaikoura will be rebuilt, with additional improvements to increase safety and resilience.
“Since the day of the earthquake, restoring access to Kaikoura has been our number one priority. Agreeing to restore the coastal route demonstrates our ongoing commitment to getting this region back on its feet as quickly as possible,” Mr Bridges says.
“To provide certainty, the Crown will fund the work required. Exact costs are still being determined, but the current estimate is between $1.4 billion and $2 billion.
“In addition, emergency legislation passed through Parliament last week will cut through red tape, and ensure repairs to the existing route can be accelerated.”
An Order in Council is currently being prepared that will accelerate the reinstatement of State Highway 1 north and south of Kaikōura.
Mr Bridges says that even with an accelerated process, there is a long way to go.
“The precise work required to repair the route is still under investigation and it will be a very complex job. However, the Government is confident that limited access via the coastal route can be restored in about 12 months.
“Rebuilding a stronger, more resilient coastal route will give Kaikoura residents the security of a second connection to the rest of the South Island."
The NZ Transport Agency will repair and maintain the road for vehicles travelling through the Springs Junction and Lewis Pass route over the weeks and months ahead.
The Transport Agency will also work with local government to repair and maintain the Kaikoura emergency access route, and bring other roads back into service in the leadup to Christmas.
Metal fabrication is essential to the green energy industry’s production of solar panels, natural gas lines, and wind turbines. How can we make the metalworking industry more environmentally friendly?
sheet metal fabrication, fabrication metal, metal fabricator, eco friendly, eco friendly products, sustainable, sustainability, sustainablity, sustainabilty, sustanability, sustainibility, welding, vacuum soldering, solder vacuum, soldering vacuum, friction welding, friction stir welding, linear friction welding, friction welder, diffusion welding, green technology, green technologies, green technolgy, metalworking, metal fabricationIf you’re familiar with the metal fabrication industry, you know that it’s a world steeped in tradition, forging fires, and the clanging of metal on metal. There are sparks and smoke, and sometimes risks from fumes or open flame.
No matter how you slice it, the creation of metal can be a messy business.
But now, it doesn’t have to be. With the invention of new technologies that help with the “greening” of the metal fabrication industry—along with a worldwide shift towards sustainable products and production—welding is moving more towards becoming what’s known as a “green collar job.”
It’s a pursuit that’s considered to be more ecologically friendly than ever before, plus it’s a trade with a bright future for those thinking about a career in welding.
Combine that with the fact that the green movement can actually save metal fabricators money in the long run, and there’s little reason not to embrace a sustainable initiative.
This is no small thing for an industry that’s been around for centuries.
Green-Collar Jobs
There are actually two ways for a job to be green: either it can produce eco-friendly products, or it can use manufacturing that’s environmentally sustainable, even if the final product itself can’t be considered green.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that the former is referred to as the output approach—which “identifies establishments that produce green goods and services and counts the associated jobs”— and the latter is the process approach—which “identifies establishments that use environmentally friendly production processes and practices and counts the associated jobs”.
The process approach can be used in any industry, which makes it much easier to implement. Yet when it comes to metal fabrication, companies can have the best of both worlds.
A welding business can use the process approach if it incorporates environmentally friendly welding techniques, which could include vacuum soldering, friction welding, and diffusive welding. These may be cutting-edge techniques now, but in the future they could become more commonplace.
Still, you’re more likely to find metal fabrication companies utilizing the output approach: as the world moves towards more eco-friendly initiatives, there’s going to be more demand for metal that can help support green technology. We’ll touch on that more in the next section.
It’s also beneficial for metal fabrication companies to consider switching to green initiatives (e.g. change the process approach). There are numerous government agencies looking to provide support through assistance programs to help move more fabrication and manufacturers towards eco-friendly production.
For example, Fabricating & Metalworking mentions the Green Suppliers Network, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency along with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which has a mission “to help small and medium-sized manufacturers stay competitive and profitable while reducing their impact on the environment.”
| Continue to full article | Dec 14, 2016 |
The NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and Auckland Airport have established a taskforce to find immediate ways to improve travel times and congestion on the roads and state highways to, from and around Auckland Airport, and to review the timing of other projects already planned to improve the performance of the transport network.A combination of higher than expected traffic volumes, wet weather, incidents and road improvement projects have created recent delays in the area, including last Thursday when Auckland’s transport network experienced significant performance issues.
The taskforce has agreed to accelerate a number of planned initiatives, including: • changes to lane configurations at the State Highway 20B (Puhinui Rd) / State Highway 20 interchange before Christmas to increase traffic flows through the intersection; • the Auckland Transport Operations Centre will optimise traffic signals to increase traffic flows at peak times on the state highways and airport roads, and publish additional airport-specific travel time information; • changes to lane configurations on George Bolt Memorial Drive / Tom Pearce Drive to improve traffic flows to both airport terminals; • changes to lane configurations on George Bolt Memorial Drive / Laurence Stevens Drive roundabout to improve traffic flows to the domestic terminal; and • deploying special temporary traffic management plans on Auckland Airport’s roads to increase the network’s resilience.
The immediate solutions are in addition to the major improvements already underway to deliver additional network capacity and improve travel times, including: • the $140 million upgrade of State Highway 20A and improvements to the State Highway 20A / Kirkbride Road interchange which will create significant extra capacity; • the upgrade of the George Bolt Memorial Drive / The Landing Drive / Verissimo Drive intersection; and • new bus lanes heading towards the airport on State Highway 20A.
Adrian Littlewood, Auckland Airport’s Chief Executive, says, “We are all very concerned about the travel times being experienced by passengers, businesses and airport workers during certain peak-periods. We understand the frustration it can cause and we are all determined to do what we can to improve journeys to the airport until longer-term public transport options are in place.”Fergus Gammie, the NZ Transport Agency’s Chief Executive, says, “The roads in and around the airport don’t work in isolation, they are all part of one transport network and the response to the traffic growth in the area needs to consider the entire network. Finding a network-based solution that improves travel times is essential given Auckland Airport’s important role connecting Auckland with the rest of New Zealand and the world, and South Auckland’s increasing importance as a key business district.”
David Warburton, Auckland Transport’s Chief Executive, says, “Public transport has an important role to play in providing motorists with an alternative to using their cars. Auckland Transport will continue to focus on how it can increase public transport services to and from the airport to provide both passengers and workers at the airport with greater travel choices.”Airline passengers, drivers and people who work at the airport are advised to check the NZ Transport Agency website for the latest state highway travel time information, before travelling to the airport. Drivers are also encouraged to not use the airport as a bypass to connect to their destinations.
SHANGHAI, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodman Group (Goodman or the Group) is pleased to announce that it has secured five new major customer commitments totalling 98,120 sqm at the Goodman Pudong Airport Logistics Park (GPALP). The leasing success achieved reflects the continued robust demand for well located, high quality warehouse and distribution facilities in and around key gateway cities like Shanghai.
Located next to the Pudong International Airport's third runway, which is designated for airfreight only, the park is well serviced by strong transportation infrastructure. It comprises two-storey ramped up warehouses with sustainable features such as LED lighting, low-e glass curtain walls and steel structures made out of recycled materials.
The five customers who have recently committed to GPALP are:
Kristoffer Harvey, Chief Executive Officer, Greater China, Goodman said, "The strong demand for space at the Goodman Pudong Airport Logistics Park underscores our commitment to making it the preferred choice for companies wanting to locate in excellent proximity to China's second busiest airport. We are pleased to welcome so many renowned customers to this facility and to be able to meet their requirements with our modern logistics solutions and high quality customer service."
China Postal Express & Logistics, one of the park's new customers, committed to a total of 19,769 sqm.
Wang Aiping, General Manager, Shanghai Branch, China Postal Express & Logistics said, "Shanghai Postal Express & Logistics is a modern and integrated state-owned express delivery and logistics company that professionally operates and manages Shanghai's postal express and logistics services. Our business covers all of China and more than 200 countries overseas. Goodman has a strong reputation in the market due to the high quality of its warehouses, as well as its excellent property management capabilities. We are very honoured to occupy Goodman's best-in-class facility, which has been built in line with the highest standards. The adequate amount of space provided by the Goodman Pudong Airport Logisitics Park will play a key role in helping Shanghai Postal Express & Logistics improve its management and operational capabilities, boost its efficiency and provide integrated customer services. Meanwhile, Shanghai Postal Express & Logistics will also offer convenient, rapid, safe and reliable express delivery and logistics services to all segments of society."
About Goodman
Goodman Group is an integrated property group with operations throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom and the Americas. Goodman Group, comprised of the stapled entities Goodman Limited, Goodman Industrial Trust and Goodman Logistics (HK) Limited, is the largest industrial property group listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and one of the largest listed specialist investment managers of industrial property and business space globally.
Goodman's global property expertise, integrated own+develop+manage customer service offering and significant fund management platform ensures it creates innovative property solutions that meet the individual requirements of its customers, while seeking to deliver sustainable long-term returns for its Partners.
| A Goodman release | Dec 14, 2016 |
Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today opened public consultation on a new national renewable energy strategy.
The draft replacement of the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy proposes actions that will help New Zealand make the most of its clean, renewable energy sources.
“Energy efficiency and increased use of our renewables are critical for our environment and our economy,” Mr Bridges says.
“This strategy will aim to steer businesses, individuals and the Government towards taking actions that enable our transition towards a smarter, lower-carbon and more productive economy.”
The strategy covers the period 2017-2022. Its actions and targets focus on three priority areas: transport; the heat used in industrial and manufacturing processes; and innovative and efficient use of electricity.
“These areas offer the greatest potential for emissions and efficiency savings, which can improve economic growth, energy security and affordability, and help New Zealand meet its climate change commitments,” Mr Bridges says.
”It also complements Government initiatives already underway such as the Electric Vehicles Programme, which will take advantage of New Zealand’s renewable electricity and reduce transport emissions by accelerating the uptake of electric vehicles.”
The strategy was developed in consultation with a range of targeted stakeholder groups with the public consultation process seeking views to inform the development of the final strategy, for release in 2017.
Submissions can be made at www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/energy/energy-strategies. They close 5pm, 7 February 2017.
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