Air New Zealand has today welcomed customers to the airline’s first lounge dedicated to regional travelers out of Wellington.
Located on the first floor of the airport’s main terminal building ahead of the new centralised security screening point, the lounge offers seating for more than 100 customers.
Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says the new space is open to all lounge eligible customers but was designed specifically for those travelling to regional ports.
“The lounge’s proximity to regional gates will give customers travelling on regional services more time to relax or get some work done in the lead up to their flight.
“There are a range of spaces and facilities to suit all types of travellers including business stations with power and USB connections, dining tables for groups of various sizes and quiet nooks to read or relax in,” says Mr Tod.
The lounge also features self-service food buffet and drinks stations as well as barista made coffee which customers can order direct from their smartphone or tablet through the airline’s popular mobile app.
With large windows with sweeping views over the airport’s public atrium and beyond to the tarmac, the lounge is designed in the sleek, modern style of the airline’s other recently opened lounges in Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Nadi, Invercargill, Hamilton and Queenstown.
Air New Zealand is part way through a four year, $100 million programme to redevelop lounges at ports right across its network.
The Electricity Authority is proposing to remove 36 clauses that require it to act or behave reasonably from the ‘rulebook’ that governs the New Zealand electricity market. (1)
The move is being opposed by a group of consumer, business, farming and electricity industry organisations, who are calling for people to lodge urgent objections. Submissions close tomorrow.
The Group includes the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Counties Power, EA Networks, EMA Northern, Entrust, Auckland Federated Farmers, Northpower, Norske Skog, Oji, Top Energy and Vector.
The changes would remove requirements for the Authority to act reasonably, remove requirements for the Authority to publish information within a reasonable period of time and remove references to the Authority being required to make ‘reasonable endeavours’.
The changes have been buried in an otherwise technical consultation document, 300 pages long, says the Group.
“This is really bad practice by the organisation which is the referee for our country’s electricity market, and they need to be called on it,” says Kim Campbell a spokesperson for the Group.
“These changes remove important checks and balances. If the references to acting reasonably are removed, the only option left would be to take the Authority to court under general administrative law.
That’s costly, time-consuming and must pass a much tougher threshold.
“It does make you wonder why the Authority wants to do this, and why now, when so many organisations are challenging them on bad process with transmission pricing. Vague references to improving efficiency do not cut it in our book, and why these changes would be in the long term interest of electricity consumers is anyone’s guess.
“As we see it, lowering the level of accountability amounts to a power grab. What’s more, these changes only apply to itself. Some 480 references that require all other organisations to behave or act ‘reasonably’ remain in the rulebook, and this includes the system operator.
“Worse, the Authority thinks it’s both judge and jury when it comes to the way it operates. It’s time someone insisted they become more accountable and we’re up for that task.
“A major review[2] of New Zealand regulation only two years ago warned against lowering the levels of accountability, and called on the Government to do more to improve regulatory practice. The Minister for Regulatory Reform should step in to stamp out this kind of sloppy practice, and so should MBIE, who are supposed to have policy oversight of this organisation,” says Mr Campbell.
[1] The Electricity Industry Participation Code.[2] http://www.productivity.govt.nz/sites/default/files/regulatory-institutions-and-practices-final-report.pdf
Trade Minister Todd McClay has welcomed the release of two studies which shed new light on the cost and impact of unnecessary red tape and arbitrary trade rules on New Zealand’s exports.
“Technically referred to as non-tariff barriers, these unfair obstacles are costing New Zealand businesses US$5.9 billion every year,” says Mr McClay.
This is according to a report released this week by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. The research was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign and Trade as a contribution to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) work on this issue.
In parallel to this, the APEC Business Advisory Council has released a new study showing that, due to non-tariff barriers, food trade is more difficult and expensive than it should be, undermining goals of food security in the Asia Pacific region.
“Non-tariff barriers to trade are a pervasive, costly issue for our exporting businesses. As the studies show, even as our growing network of trade agreements has reduced the costs for our exports, there has been a significant rise in the number of non-tariff barriers that exporters face,” says Mr McClay.
“These new studies underline the importance of the Government’s efforts to address non-tariff barriers, to ensure that New Zealand businesses can compete on a level playing field overseas.
“Addressing non-tariff barriers has always been a significant part of our export-focused work. It is core work for a range of government agencies.
“A cross agency group has been set up under the Government’s Business Growth Agenda to get to grips with the impact that non-tariff barriers are having on our exporters and what we can do to get rid of them. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is encouraging its export customers to come forward with market access issues they may be encountering.
“Reducing the impact of non-tariff barriers on New Zealand business has also been highlighted as one of the key issues under the Government’s refreshed trade policy strategy.”
Mr McClay, who was recently in Lima for the annual APEC Summit, welcomed the role that APEC has been playing in highlighting the issues posed by non-tariff barriers.
“I am pleased to see APEC taking a leadership role on this issue. New Zealand has been a big driver of this work and we will continue to make a strong contribution to APEC’s efforts in this area,” says Mr McClay.
Links:
http://nzier.org.nz/static/media/filer_public/51/5f/515f28b2-4c78-41f3-a...
http://www.apec.org/Press/News-Releases/2016/1117_ABAC.aspx
Trust in official employment numbers fades alongside faith in political classes, institutions
In two current events that came to pass but which were not supposed to happen the real mood was disguised by ultra-positive unemployment figures that outcomes indicate were not in fact trusted.
The first upset was Brexit. The second was Trump.
Britain’s unemployment official figures could not have been more favourable to the status quo. At 4.8 percent incredibly even under New Zealand’s which in the English-speaking zone are routinely the lowest.
United States employment figures remain equally rosy at 4.9 percent and which again remain on a par with New Zealand’s
The institutions charged with analysing and articulating public moods we can see now were fixated on these figures which falsely radiated the impression of the naturalness of the conventional wisdom which was that Britain would stay in the EU and that the Democrats would stay in the White House.
How wrong.
These institutions now resemble a group of indulged children whose hands have been found in the cookie jar. They are unable to admit they were wrong, and why they were wrong. They decline still to learn from their mistake
Nothing illustrates this more than the revealing verbatim conference between the New York Times, once the most highly regarded of these institutions, and their in-house conference with the obliging drop-by president-elect Donald Trump.
The received impression is of a group of doctrinal dilettantes foppishly unwilling to countenance the way in which they misled the people who trusted them.
The sole New York Times representative present who acquitted themselves with any dignity was the proprietor Arthur Sulzberger (pictured) who gave the impression of understanding the failing of his own institution..
So why are people, ordinary people, not responding to these statistics?
The simple answer is that they do not believe them. Instead they believe now:-
The impression now conveyed by these once revered employment statistics centres on the cynicism surrounding the nature and reward of the actual jobs.
This devolves onto the once high-paying jobs in coal and steel especially being replaced by low paying jobs, often part time, in the service industries that have sprung up in their place. This includes janitorial type employment more suitable voters tend to believe for women than for males.
President-elect Trump’s message is for those in the once economic engine room states of the United States who find their high-paying jobs have evaporated.
The people who once worked in coal and steel and in production engineering have now seen their well-padded pay packets migrate into the hands of the service sector, notably the East Coast banking one.
This cynicism now compounded when the banking sector was revealed to have lost immense amounts of the nation’s s wealth accumulated by this very same productive sector.
Anger and disbelief now compounded when it became clear that the highly rewarded financial practitioners were to suffer no consequence in what amounted to embedded institutional bungling of the type that would have cost productive sector employees their jobs- --perhaps forever .
From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk
Revology Chair
Revology chair - exploring manufacturing options
While you were sleeping: Oil slides on stalemate
OECD sets Govt some challenges
Manfeild track renamed after New Zealand motor racing great Chris Amon
Alliance Group invests in new technology
Diverseco acquires RTA, Australia’s leading robotic automation company
Italy and NZ commit to doubling two-way trade
While you were sleeping: Wall St slips from record
At this year's Autodesk University (AU), which was attended by 10,000 people, Autodesk made several announcements that make its software quite attractive for manufacturing firms of all sizes. The company and its partners showcased several applications that address latest trendssuch as generative design, augmented virtual (AR) and virtual reality (VR), additive manufacturing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. As CEO Carl Bass said, “Unless your team is collaborating well, you can’t even compete, much less win.”
Autodesk's core strategy has been to democratize design software so that smaller companies with limited resources can use them to design and deliver the latest high-quality products. Subscription-based cloud delivery fits the core strategy of making its software affordable and enables collaboration in and among teams. The company is on a trend away from desktop applications, with an emphasis on delivering applications in the cloud.
Autodesk is building a cloud portfolio for each industry that it says is complete, connected and on-demand. Its cloud-based Fusion 360 and BIM 360 are built on the Forge developer platform that will now be available through a browser in addition to native mobile applications.
November 25 saw the first coming together of Unitec’s new alumni group for its former engineering students and tutors. Pictured are Engineering alumni Dominic Hurley, Shannon Wallis & Stuart Hume
“Unitec’s engineering pathway supports the formation of this group so as to foster and maintain relationships with our alumni, many of whom have gone on to do great things within the New Zealand and global engineering industries,” said David Nummy, Unitec’s acting Head of Engineering.
“This alumni group will help Unitec strengthen and build the reputation of our programmes and our graduates. It will also help ensure our tertiary institute has good links back into industry for the benefit of current Unitec students.”
The main instigator of the new alumni group, Aidan Cooper, is a Unitec Bachelor of Engineering (environment) graduate. Mr Cooper is a board member of the Institution of Professional Engineers NZ (IPENZ) and has served on the Auckland IPENZ Branch committee since 2010. He is currently a senior engineer with Chester Consultants.
Private equity-owned Patties Foods, the maker of brands such as Nanna’s, Herbert Adams and Four’N Twenty pies, has bought New Zealand company Leader Products, a manufacturer of frozen convenience food products.
Patties Foods, bought by Pacific Equity Partners for $232 million in September, says the two companies are natural partners, both focused on manufacturing high quality frozen foods.
Leader, started by Tony Peterson and Richard Crabb in 1998, exports to Australia and Asia and has doubled revenue in the past five years. The product range includes meatballs, burger patties, toppas, finger foods and meal solutions under the brands Leader, Tony’s Tucka and Kauri Coast.
Peterson will continue as managing director and will maintain a stake in the combined business.
Paul Hitchcock, CEO of Patties, says the combination of Patties and Leader will provide significant growth opportunities for both companies.
“Leader is a great New Zealand success story and we are very keen to support the team in their continued growth,” he says.
“For example, we see immediate opportunities to leverage the Patties sales force in Australia to bring more of Leader’s great product range to Australian customers.”
The cost of the acquisition hasn’t been revealed. The transaction is expected to complete in early 2017 following regulatory approval.
Cites Dictator’s emphasis on health, education throughout Latin America
Fidel Castro was a “giant” who saved Cuba from revolving door coups and counter coups declares New Zealander Bernard Diederich who was a close friend of Castro’s since his ascent to power.
Mr Diederich and his wife were on the invitation list for the 10th anniversary of the Cuba revolution.
Had it not been for Castro, emphasises Mr Diederich, Cuba would simply be another “poor and uneducated” Latin nation.
Mr Diederich cites Castro’s intense interest in science and religion as additional, and unrecognised, aspects to the personality of the dictator.
Mr Diederich also emphasises the way in which the Cuban leader deployed his technical people notably doctors throughout Latin America and to the benefit of the poor there.
For many year Mr Diederich ran Haiti's daily paper and was thus eyewitness to the various catastrophes in the region caused by human intervention.
Mr Diederich was for many years in charge of Time Life’s Central America coverage. He was awarded the National Press Club's Lifetime Achievement Award two years ago. He is pictured at the event in Martinborough where his New Zealand family is now based.
He hails from Wellington and is considered now to be New Zealand’s greatest living adventurer. His odyssey started early in World War 2 when he became a boy sailor on the Pamir, the square rigger seized from the Germans.
Considering this too safe, he went on to sail in tankers across the Atlantic.
After the war he hove-to in Port Au Prince, Haiti, where he started his newspaper and began a tortured relationship with the Duvalier dynasty.
Now a resident in Miami, Mr Diederich was to deal on personal terms with all the Central American dictators over the next half century and his books on them are considered standard reference works.
Early revolutionary days (below): Bernard Diederich, wearing tie, with Fidel Castro.
From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk
TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (MNA) – Iran's Ambassador to New Zealand Jalalelddin Namini Mianeji on Tuesday announced that the two countries enjoy growing economic and political relations.
He said New Zealand’s Trade Minister Todd McClay, heading a private sector economic delegation, will travel to Europe and Iran over the next week to take part in a number of trade-related events.
His team will hold talks and meetings with Iranian officials on examining ways to develop and deepen bilateral economic relations in post-JCPOA era.
"This is the first high-ranking economic delegation of New Zealand that enters Iran during post-sanctions era," Namini underlined.
Iran's ambassador to New Zealand stressed that the two countries had good cooperation in industrial and technology fields in the past, including the renewable energy.
He also pointed to the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the country earlier this year, saying Iran presented a $1 billion prospect for New Zealand.
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