Trade Minister Todd McClay has welcomed the third reading of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill in Parliament today.
The passage of this Bill is a significant step towards New Zealand ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
“It will be a signal of the commitment that New Zealand has for the continued liberalisation of international trade. At times when there is uncertainty in the rest of the world, New Zealand’s consistent and trusted voice of negotiating trade outcomes that are good for our economy needs to be heard.
“Our vision for a mechanism to enhance trade between four countries grew into the largest trade agreement to date and which places us in the middle of a region encompassing nearly 40 per cent of global GDP. We can be very proud of that, but we must continue to push for new trading opportunities and to continue to push for trade liberalisation wherever we can,” says Mr McClay.
The Bill makes all the necessary changes to primary legislation required by New Zealand to ratify TPP. The amendments introduced by the Bill – and other related changes to New Zealand law – will take effect only from the date that TPP enters into force for New Zealand.
TPP provides for an initial period of up to two years for all TPP signatories to complete their own domestic procedures required to ratify TPP. The Government hopes that other TPP signatories will continue their efforts to complete their domestic processes.
“Whilst acknowledging that there remain obstacles to the agreement coming into force, we need to take time to allow the new US administration time to fully consider its trade agenda.
“Until then, New Zealand will continue its own, well-proven path to openness and inclusiveness in the global trade arena,” says Mr McClay.
An inconvenient truth - How NZ can take off to Paris with energy from wasteDr. Marc R. Stammbach, Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia2pm, 6th December 2016
Extracting valuable products from waste in a circular economy* is critical for communities to be sustainable.Grate based energy from waste maximises energy as well as material recovery from solid waste. Recovered materials include detoxified inert materials for use, aggregate, ferrous and aluminium, and now also copper, silver, palladium, and even gold. The high net energy production to electricity, process steam, district heating and cooling classifies them as recycling plants according to the European R1 criteria.The focus of this webinar will be:• Residuals materials fit for energy from waste• Flue gas treatment options• Recovery steam, heat and electricity (50% renewable)• Detoxifies waste to mostly renewable carbon dioxide, aggregate and metals• Chemically recycles – recovery of metals from flue gas treatment• Thermally recycles – urban mining of metals and aggregate from bottom ash• New projects delivered into the UK using best available technology• Importance of recycling of metals with increasing use of multi-composite materials• Energy from waste is environmentally sound and empowers the circular economy• Turns NZ’s CO2 emission from waste below zero and will achieve near “zero waste to landfill”Case studies from operational facilities with these features will be portrayed and their relevance in the New Zealand context discussed.
The Bioenergy Association invites anyone interested in utilizing waste to produce energy to attend this webinar.
Booking a Place at the Webinar
· Bookings: - Bookings are essential in order to connect to the GoToMeeting system. Please book your place at this event using This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Attendance at this webinar is FREE courtesy of EECA Business.
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith has welcomed the passing of the Patents (Trans-Tasman Patent Attorneys and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, which will implement a joint trans-Tasman licensing regime for New Zealand and Australian patent attorneys.
Patent attorneys make up a small profession providing specialist advice to innovative businesses on the protection and exploitation of intellectual property.
“The two countries share over 500 trans-Tasman patent attorneys. With many of them already registered in both jurisdictions it makes sense to take advantage of economies of scale and save the profession time, money and effort.
“A modern regime for regulating patent attorneys ensures New Zealand businesses have optimal access to high quality, reliable advice,” says Mr Goldsmith.
Key changes in the legislation include:
The trans-Tasman regime will commence on 24 February 2017. Further information can be found on MBIE’s website. Information on the transition from current national registration regime to the new trans-Tasman regime can be found here.
Darren’s knowledge and expertise are a strong fit for SCNZ as the organisation moves forward. He has 28 years of sales and marketing, and business development experience, gained largely in the building and construction industry. He joins SCNZ from Fletcher Aluminium, a division of Fletcher Building, where he was for 16 years. Prior to that Darren held positions at BHP New Zealand Steel, Solid Energy, Marley NZ and Plyco Doors. He has also just ended his time on the board of industry organisation the Window Association NZ where he served for 12 years, seven as Chairman.
Darren says: "I’m delighted to be joining such a progressive industry. In the last decade New Zealand’s structural steel sector has invested significantly in people, equipment and technology to boost capacity, quality and efficiency. It has proactively introduced Steel Fabricator Certification, an industry-led quality initiative to set itself apart from offshore suppliers.
"The present climate presents both challenges and opportunities. I’m looking forward to supporting the industry on the next phase of its journey as it continues to grow and develop."
Darren replaces Alistair Fussell, who is stepping down from the role after 11 years. Alistair plans to establish a structural engineering consultancy and will continue his association with SCNZ on a contract basis.
MSCNewsWire understands that a Notice of Intent to Award Contracts (the Award) from the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) in the USA has been announced and awarded to Konecranes.
The Award includes the provision of 86 Automated Stacking Cranes or Automated Rail Mounted Gantry (ARMG) cranes, which are available throughout Australasia, to be delivered in phases between 2018 and 2020, with a total contract value in excess of EUR 200 million (over AUD $280 million).
The Virginia Port Authority intends to award two separate contracts, once approved by their board of commissioners. The first involves 60 Automated Stacking Cranes for Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) and the second involves 26 Automated Stacking Cranes for Virginia International Gateway (VIG).
The Konecranes ASC system offers valuable advantages in an ever-more automated industry, including high performance, reliability, accuracy, low operating costs and low energy consumption.
“Konecranes ARMGs have a light, intelligent steel structure. When this is combined with our Active Load Control (ALC) technology, the cranes deliver fast, accurate container stacking over a range of real world conditions,” says Ms Cindy Shi, Marketing Manager – Ports, Konecranes Asia Pacific, which includes Australia and New Zealand.
Konecranes ARMG cranes are part of a range of container handling equipment offered by Konecranes, including Automated Rubber Tyre Gantry (ARTG) cranes, RTG cranes, RMG cranes, Ship-to-shore Gantry (STS) cranes and straddle carriers.
Statistics New Zealand's decision to review the schedule of data releases after this week's 7.5 magnitude earthquake left its Wellington headquarters unusable for up to a year has highlighted the agency's reliance on the head office.
The quake damaged the 11-year-old building to such an extent that Statistics NZ's staff won't be allowed back in for up to 12 months, and its website and public data sources are out of action, although its Auckland and Christchurch offices remain open.
The agency was scheduled to release the September retail trade survey today, but has put that off until further notice and is reviewing its release calendar.
While that's seen as more of a nuisance to economists who rely on government data, New Zealand Institute of Economic Research's Christina Leung says the agency has too much emphasis on the Wellington office.
"I can't believe that it has all its systems concentrated and are so reliant on Wellington," Ms Leung says. Read the full article on NBR
Emirates Skywards, the award-winning frequent flyer programme of Emirates airline, has signed on The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as its latest partner, enabling members to redeem Miles for an annual digital subscription to the world’s leading source of business news.
This is the first time Emirates Skywards has partnered with a global publication to provide an annual digital membership, which will give Emirates Skywards members unlimited digital access to WSJ’s world-leading markets coverage and industry scoops.
Emirates Skywards members, including those in New Zealand, regardless of tier can redeem an annual digital subscription to The Wall Street Journal for 20,000 Miles, while Platinum members can receive the same annual membership for free. All Emirates Skywards members opting in will be able to enjoy Wall Street Journal Plus (WSJ+), giving unique access to exclusive events and offers.
The latest addition to Emirates Skywards’ list of partners caters to its diverse group of members and provides even more opportunities to redeem Miles within the lifestyle space. Additional memberships can also be redeemed with Skywards Miles as gift options to be shared with friends and family.
Emirates Skywards is in its 16th year and has over 16 million members. In addition to special offers with partner airlines, hotels and retail brands, members also enjoy special access to global sporting, arts and cultural events.
National Press Club president Peter Isaac interviewed about Commerce Commission upset merger veto.......
Napier - MSCNewsWire, Tuesday 15 November 2016
If someone from the two chains contacted you and asked, What should we do now? What would you tell them?My instruction would be to turn their strategy on its head and go in next time at this democratic literary end which means furnishing evidence of the freedom that the two pending proprietorial partners already allocate to their individual newspaper editors, and have done for many years.
The Commerce Commission would require evidence?The Commerce Commission response indicates that it wants working real-life examples of the chains’ ability to allow their editors and thus their newspapers to enjoy the freedom to say pretty much what they want to say. I would suggest for example that Fairfax management for one refers to the separate nature of The Dominion and The Evening Post which for so long co-existed under their old INL banner. They were entirely separate in regard to editorial staffs. They looked utterly different and had quite different contents and opinions. Similarly now with the Waikato Times, for example, which happily still co-exists under the Fairfax banner. Similarly with for example the Nelson Mail and of course with the The Press of Christchurch, Southland Times also in the stable, and so on.
Can we assume that the Commerce Commission is aware of this?The point that the two groups need to make is that it is simply not in their interests to have their combined newspapers all singing the same song. These newspapers must reflect their own communities and the issues therein. In my many years involvement with INL/Fairfax in a number of regions I cannot recall even one incident of the management strong-arming anyone, anywhere, to follow this or that party line.
Isn’t the Commission of the opinion that they will publish just the one nationwide daily?They have tried this from the Wellington end and also from the Auckland end on several occasions. The result has always been the same. Failure. The national daily business model does not exist here and the reason is that subscribers insist on localised news from their own localised newspaper. The proof of this theory is the litmus test in the form of the chains’ holdout, the flourishing and regional Otago Daily Times. Even Rupert Murdoch could not get off the ground a national daily here.
There are no guarantees that this hands-off legacy will continue?You have now several government-sponsored referee organisations. The Press Complaints Commission, the Advertising Standards Commission to name just the direct ones. So in the event of the amalgamation there exists in place these pressure valve authorities on subscriber daily newspapers. The state determinedly holds onto its own broadcasting channels, so there is a ready diffusion for the result of any such arbitration. In fact, if I had anything to do with the two newspaper chains and their dealings with the Commerce Commission I would start lobbying now for the re-instatement of Column Comment on the government’s own television channel.
Explain?Column Comment was the de facto newspaper referee for decades and was taken very seriously by newspaper people at all levels, more seriously, I think, than the channel itself realised. I know a version of it has been reproduced on the government’s Radio New Zealand. But it was the television delivery that carried the punch to the readers and thus to the industry itself. I don’t think anyone would suggest that such Column Comment commentators as Ian Cross, Keith Ovenden or the late Neil Roberts, among other presenters, could be bought.
It is said of the New Zealand press that it is either boring or sensational?You could say the same thing about the press anywhere in the world. A point not fully understood about the industry in New Zealand is that for legislative regulation reasons it took much longer here to establish Sunday newspapers than it did in the rest of the English-speaking world. When they did emerge I do concede that they tended toward the sensational. But if you look at the chains’ bulldog editions, the Saturday ones for weekend carryover, then they contain a greater proportion of what you need-to-know instead of what you-want-to-know frivolity.
Where are the proprietors going wrong then, that they need this shotgun marriage, and yet have now been left dangling so embarrassingly at the altar?They thought that the Commerce Commission would see things from their point of view, the one centred on economics. In the event the Commission saw things from the literary angle. Bureaucrats and newspaper people share one thing in common--they must not make assumptions with legal outcomes. This is a resounding lesson to the industry.
Your advice to the still-betrothed newspaper chains is?To fence off their spread sheets and get onto the Commission’s own wave-length which in the Commission’s own words is this literary liberal democracy preservation one. The chains’ message should be clear. It should be “if we are not allowed to merge then we will even overtake China within 10 years because there will be no daily newspaper proprietors in New Zealand whatsoever, and thus no daily newspapers free or shackled.”
Still, there remains the argument now that others will rush in and fill the gap?They will and they will be part of the free-model that the hitherto two subscriber daily chains will have already filled with their own weekly free-sheets. Nobody not even the Horton family has been able to start up a subscriber daily newspaper. Once they go, they have gone for ever.
In spite of the media being such a studied subject at universities, there is little in the public domain about newspaper economics?You have this argument to the effect, Oh! We will have as they do in London these free dailies. But in New Zealand there is insufficient commuter intensity to underpin them. Even in Auckland. As it is in New Zealand the weekly free-sheets do best in rural-provincial areas where the population is older and there is thus a lower take-up of screen-delivered free-model news and information in general.
Your point being?That once the current chain dailies disappear, the ones that dot the nation from Invercargill to Whangarei that they cannot be replaced by other subscriber dailies. Only by free sheets.
You were surprised at the Commerce Commission’s decision to stall the Fairfax-NZME merger?I was and I was in good company- -that of the two chains for a start.
Then you must have shared with them an underpinning belief?If you read between the lines of what emerged from the episode then we all got it wrong. The assumption was that the Commission as a government organisation would have been primarily pre-occupied with the cost in human terms of a centralisation of mechanical services, notably of the rotary presses. In the event the Commission saw the fusion in an intellectual context and said so unequivocally in terms of what it saw as this need to preserve the “liberal democracy” through diverse newspaper ownership.
You didn’t see this?I did the same thing that the strategists of the two chains did. I forgot my history. There is a strong backbone for this kind of regulatory reaction. The News Media Ownership legislation designed to keep Lord Thomson out of New Zealand remains the best example. So I was party to a fault that I routinely accuse everyone else in the industry of committing which is that of a failure to put issues into historical context. Background in other words.
Do you think it is curious the way in which certain journalists post Commerce Commission have turned on their paymasters and accused them of being out of touch?This is pretty much confined to older opinion peddling wafflers who talk in terms of the bosses needing to bring their editorial, data and privacy codes up to “international best practice” and suchlike. The proprietors are not running localised versions of United Nations. Not so widely known is the reason behind the often contradictory nature of daily newspaper content. They are in fact purchased and read by baby boomers and beyond. Yet the editorial formulation is aimed in large measure at the age categories which no longer actually buy newspapers but who view them via the internet editions, the free model in other words. . These are the people in their 20s 30s. It is this category, the early home-buyers, that the property sector, overwhelmingly the major advertiser, needs to reach.
How would you approach the government itself, the ultimate arbiter?I would quietly ensure that MPs became aware of something which is in fact considered best practice in some other OECD nations which is taxpayer subsidy of dailies in order to keep them afloat.
Final point?If I was remotely responsible for the return match with the Commerce Commission I would illustrate on what a delicate economic thread hangs these nationwide subscriber daily newspapers. To reinforce this point I would ensure that there was someone with no particular axe to grind, perhaps one of these academic types you refer to, who would step up and point out what a remarkable job the two chains have done in maintaining this score or so of daily newspapers in a population equivalent to that of many global cities and how this feat can only be sustained by the proposed amalgamation. The stormiest metropolitan editor I ever worked forwas the late Frank Haden. The unbiddable Haden loved imagery. He would say that it was the taste that any story left in the mouth of the reader that mattered. The taste the two chains with their revised submission should leave to linger in the collective palate of the Commerce Commission is this:-
Even if we wanted to, tried to, align our daily newspapers in a constant state of editorial harmony we could not achieve it. The reason is that our subscribers would bar us from conspiring in such regimentation by the simple act of cancelling their subscriptions. They would in response throw in their lot with the digital free model.
Telecommunications infrastructure providers, Vodafone, Spark and Chorus, are working closely together to explore all options to restore services to Kaikoura.
The earthquake damaged a major fibre optic cable that runs from the top of the South Island, along State Highway 1 through Clarence and Kaikoura, to Christchurch, which supports both fixed line and mobile networks.
Six breaks have been identified along this cable, and the conditions and nature of the damage to the cable and the adjacent State Highway means that restoration work is going to take a considerable amount of time. Repairs may take weeks or possibly months.
People in the Kaikoura region are likely to experience degraded telecommunications services for an extended period of time.
In order to support the Kaikoura community, residents, and incoming support workers, Vodafone, Spark and Chorus are exploring a range of options to provide temporary connectivity to the Kaikoura township, including microwave backhaul links to mobile cell sites.
Aqualink Cable
A key potential solution being investigated by the three companies is using a Vodafone-owned undersea cable that passes by the coast of Kaikoura and repurpose this cable for temporary connectivity for the township.
Vodafone’s Aqualink cable links the North and South Islands, running from Lyall Bay to Kaikoura and then on to Christchurch. Approximately 50 metres of fibre optic cable needs to be laid to connect Chorus and Spark to Vodafone’s Aqualink Cable.
This work commences today to establish a diversity link as quickly as possible. Conditions on the ground will determine the rate of progress but we aim to have this completed in the next 24 hours.
Once this work is complete, Spark, Chorus and Vodafone will be able to restore most broadband and mobile services for customers in Kaikoura and some surrounding areas.
This potential solution has a range of challenges and is not certain to be successful, however the three companies expect to have a clearer view on timelines and likelihood of success by the end of today.
Fixed line status· While the damage to the fibre cable means Kaikoura is currently isolated, most residents of Kaikoura can call each other on fixed copper lines locally but no calls can be made into or out of Kaikoura.· Emergency calls are currently being monitored and relayed to emergency services via satellite phone. Residents can also call local services such as police and fire directly.
Vodafone mobile status (including 2degrees via their roaming agreement with Vodafone)· Customers in and around Kaikoura, Clarence and Waiau are still experiencing degraded mobile services (2 sites are still down).· Yesterday afternoon Vodafone technicians successfully installed a temporary microwave backhaul link which has meant some people in the areas of Kaikoura, Hundalee, and Clarence are now able to use voice and text services.· To provide temporary coverage for people in Waiau, Vodafone will be establishing a femtocell over satellite link early this afternoon.
Spark mobile status· Customers in and around Kaikoura, Hundalee, Clarence, and Waiau are still experiencing degraded mobile services (a total of 5 cell sites are still down).· Yesterday evening, Spark installed a signal booster to the mobile cell site on the Kaikoura peninsula as an interim solution. Spark customers in Kaikoura should now have limited access to the mobile network – in most cases, 2-3 bars of signal. Spark encourages customers to use available signal for calling and texting rather than data. There is ongoing work today to increase the network capacity, so that more Kaikoura residents can use the mobile network.· Today, Spark is looking at installing a microwave backhaul link to improve mobile connectivity further. This work should be completed today or tomorrow, and once complete, will provide a good quality 3G and 4G mobile service to the Kaikoura township.· While improvement work is taking place, mobile coverage may be interrupted for short periods of time, of around 15-20 minutes.
South Island connectivityThe loss of this east coast cable means that all three providers face challenges as back up connectivity options are reduced.
Spark South Island landline and broadband services are currently reliant on the integrity of the Western cable, which runs from Blenheim and Nelson down to Christchurch via Greymouth.
If the Western cable was also damaged, it would seriously degrade connectivity for much of the South Island. To increase protection of this cable, Spark has cancelled permits for any earth works or maintenance along the length of the cable. We also ask for the assistance of New Zealanders who live along the length of the cable to ensure that they protect against any risk of damage.
Firms in big cities hire well and price to compete. Are they better firms?
This study estimates differences in productivity (mfp) across New Zealand urban areas, with a focus on the size of Auckland’s productivity premium. The estimates are based on analysis of firm-level data from Statistics New Zealand’s Longitudinal Business Database. The methods used in the paper overcome some of the biases that arise in standard approaches to spatial productivity estimation - biases arising from imperfect competition, spatial price variation, firm heterogeneity, and labour-sorting across cities. Ignoring these factors leads to biased estimates of the Auckland’s relative productivity performance. The study also investigates industry differences in spatial productivity patterns.
Urban Productivity Estimation with Heterogeneous Prices and Labour (1.4MB)Urban Productivity Estimation Executive Summary (1.5 MB)Author: Dave Maré
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