Otago Polytechnic has come up with a boost for women wanting to get into the male-dominated fields of engineering and IT.
Recognising that women are under-represented in these industries, Otago Polytechnic has created two scholarships, each worth $1000 for every year of study.
Director of Communications, Mike Waddell, says it’s important to promote inclusion in all programmes. "Otago Polytechnic values our responsibility in society. If we can support women into under-represented areas of study, it’s better for the community as a whole."
Both the IT and Engineering industries are on New Zealand Immigration’s skill shortage list for long term shortages.
Waitaki District Council Asset Manager, Caitlin Donovan, graduated from Otago Polytechnic in 2011 with a NZ Diploma in Engineering (Civil). There were only two women in her class, but she says that didn’t affect her studies or desire to enter a career in engineering.
"It ticks all my boxes. It’s a great job, and one of the higher paying industries. There are plenty of opportunities going forward too" she says.
Tracey Ayre is co-leader of the Diversity and Inclusion programme at IPENZ (Institution of Professional Engineers NZ). She says female representation is increasing in very small steps. "When the Diversity and Inclusion programme was launched in 2011, only 11% of members were women. Now it’s at about 14%."
"There are lots of great opportunities in engineering. It pays really well, qualifications are recognised overseas, and there’s a shortage of engineers around the country" Ms Ayre says.
Caitlin Donovan sums it all up in one sentence. "Just because there aren’t many women in the industry doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be!"
Applications for the scholarships close on February 7th 2017.
Spark has announced a plan dubbed ‘Upgrade New Zealand’ to get as many of its broadband customers as possible off copper networks: it will move high data volume users to fibre and others to wireless broadband.
The CEO of Spark Home, Mobile and Business, Jason Paris, said the company was trialling new deployment methods to simplify the installation of fibre to individual homes and encouraging copper-connected customers that were low to moderate data users to move to “far more reliable and easy to install wireless broadband technology.”
Spark said that, with Ultrafast Fibre (UFF), it was trialling a new scheme that would make it much easier and quicker for homeowners to install fibre for their broadband service,”
Under the new plan all homes in a street that want Spark fibre broadband will be connected in the same week and customers will be able to select a specific day within that week for their fibre installation.
Paris said the current fibre connection process was often problematic. “It can involve lots of hassle. For many customers, that can prove a turn-off as the installation process seems just too hard,” he said.
Heavy Haulage a division of Machinery Movers ltd, succesfully swapped out a small CD 160 drier for a larger TST 70 drier which will enable an increase in production for Taranaki By Products. Ken Evans of TEKAM NZ Ltd said it was impressive work by the heavy haulage team using very sophisticated lifting and transporting gear along with Hawera based Croucher and Crowder who carried out the dis-assembly of the CD 160 long with the rebuild and commissioning of the TST 70. A great job in a short time frame.
The CD 160 is now scheduled to be installed in it's new home early 2017.
Wellington, Nov 4, 16 - The Auditor-General's report on the Government's Saudi Sheep Contract provides the basis for a wider public debate about corruption and bribery. The report shows the need for detailed analysis about what happened and how to avoid similar re-occurrences.
Transparency International's New Zealand (TINZ) Chair, Suzanne Snively, congratulates the Office of the Auditor General on the landmark report into the Saudi sheep contracts acknowledging its importance and the year-long investigation. Snively said "We are particularly pleased with its message about the dangers of complacency about corruption, and the need for transparency to be used as the foil that prevents corruption from taking root".
While the report shows that no criminal activity took place it is troubling that some have read the Auditor-General's report as a vindication of the Saudi sheep deal.
Snively disagreed, saying "New Zealanders benefit in many ways from our reputation of transparency and honesty. The Saudi Sheep Contracts failed to meet public expectations.
The Auditor General specified a number of faults and the lessons that need to be properly acknowledged and addressed.
Snively said, "The Auditor General's Report did nothing to dispel our worries about New Zealand's international reputation in light of the embarrassing Saudi incident. Of concern is that the judgement that the deal was within the law has the potential itself to raise eyebrows offshore - The Saudi contracts may be lawful but the optics are awful.
TINZ believes that the biggest lesson from the report is about the dangers of carrying out murky deals which keep people in the dark.
There is much to be gained were the New Zealand Government to decide that it wants to lead the world in terms of transparent policy process - especially in its dealing with foreign investors and negotiating trade treaties."
Accountable and transparent agreements are proven to have better outcomes, higher returns to investors and provide stronger tax bases.
Transparency International New Zealand will continue this conversation. Our mission is to foster a New Zealand culture where transparency, integrity, good governance and ethical standards and practices are the core values for all New Zealanders.
"The Auditor General's report provides a chance to re-assess what else New Zealand can be doing to prevent corruption in our politics and public sector", Snively adds.
The OAG's final message is clear. Government contracts are monitored for their probity, and in this case, the benefit to the New Zealand people. Even with the best of intentions, opacity in government no longer works, sooner or later it will be exposed to the light of day.
To paraphrase the Police: Everything you do, every word you speak, every step you take, the world is watching you! Let's lead the world by ensuring that government business is conducted in broad daylight!
Transparency International
Transparency International is a global civil society coalition leading the fight against corruption. It compiles a number of measures of different aspects of corruption including the Corruption Perceptions Index, the Global Corruption Barometer, and the Bribe Payers Index. Information on Transparency International can be found at www.transparency.org and detailed information on the Corruption Perceptions Index can be found at www.transparency.org/cpi.
About TINZ
Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) is the local chapter of the global organisation - http://www.transparency.org.nz/. TINZ works to actively promote the highest levels of transparency, accountability, integrity and public participation in government and civil society in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Transparency International New Zealand provides a free Anti-Corruption Training Tool designed by leading experts in the field, and enables organisations to provide training for their personnel. This was developed in partnership with the Serious Fraud Office and BusinessNZ.
Our mission is to foster a New Zealand culture where transparency, integrity, good governance and ethical standards and practices are the core values for all New Zealanders.
Transparency International New Zealand published the Integrity Plus 2013 New Zealand National Integrity System Assessment and is actively engaged in the implementation of its recommendations.
A Transpareny International NZ press release
Paul Helm, Chief Government Accountant
The Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the three months ended 30 September 2016 were released by the Treasury today. The statements are compared against forecasts based on the 2016 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) published on 26 May 2016.
The results for the three months to the end of September show an operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) surplus of $222 million which was $725 million better than forecast largely due to higher than forecast core Crown tax revenue.
Core Crown tax revenue at $17.3 billion, was $523 million or 3.1% higher than forecast and $1.1 billion higher than for the same period last year. Higher than expected provisional tax resulted in an increase to corporate tax ($252 million) with residential investment and tourist spending contributing to higher than forecast GST ($134 million).
Core Crown expenses at $18.9 billion, were close to forecast.
When combined with the OBEGAL result, higher than forecast net gains resulted in an operating balance surplus of $2,315 million ($2,202 million larger than forecast) as markets recovered somewhat from a decline in June.
The core Crown residual cash position, at a deficit of $810 million, was $1.4 billion smaller than expected, primarily reflecting higher than expected tax receipts of $1.2 billion. This lower-than-forecast cash deficit, together with the lower than forecast opening net debt position ($0.4 billion), has flowed through to net debt which was $1.7 billion lower than forecast at $63.1 billion (25.1% of GDP).
Prime Minister John Key has today announced the President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder, will visit New Zealand from November 13-16.
“I am delighted to welcome the President in his first official visit to New Zealand,” says Mr Key.
“His visit comes on the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. This is a significant occasion in our shared history as New Zealand welcomed 1,100 refugees from Hungary at the time who then went on to contribute so much to New Zealand life.
"Hungary is an important partner in New Zealand's efforts to develop even closer relations with the European Union, our second largest trading partner.”
The President will be accompanied to New Zealand by his wife, Ms Anita Herczegh. They will visit Wellington, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The New Zealand government's accounts were unexpectedly in surplus in the first three months of the 2017 financial year, with the provisional tax take from companies tracking ahead of forecast.
The operating balance before gains and losses was a surplus of $222 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, turning around a deficit of $545 million a year earlier, and ahead of the projected $503 million shortfall in the May budget projections. That was largely due to the 6.7 percent increase in taxation to $17.34 billion, which was $523 million ahead of expectations due to a higher than expected provisional taxes bolstering the corporate tax take, while GST was supported by residential investment and tourist spending.
"Most of the variance was caused by provisional tax being higher than forecast for both revenue and receipts, indicating that taxable profits for the current tax year may be higher than expected," Treasury said in notes to the financial statements. "Based on GDP outturns to June and Treasury estimates for the September quarter, GST arising from residential investment and inbound tourism was above forecast."
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Massey University, Nov 4, 2016 - Crawling into a hole in the rubble and waiting for search dogs to find him gave Massey industrial design student Oskar Edgar an idea of how terrifying it is to be trapped in a collapsed building.
Mr Edgar has designed a purpose-built concrete cutting chainsaw prototype that could be a game changer for Urban Search and Rescue teams around the world. His design could reduce the time it takes to cut concrete in earthquake and disaster situations from two to three hours to around 15 minutes.
He has been working with the New Zealand Fire Service’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) central team to establish the challenges they face when rescuing people from collapsed buildings, as happened in the Christchurch earthquake.
“I identified a pretty serious problem that they encounter. In a building collapse, concrete creates voids where people are trapped. Their rescuers have to cut through concrete walls and floors and end up doing so in very confined spaces. Currently there is no specifically-designed equipment for these situations.
“It’s a very complex issue. Concrete cutting tools are very heavy, hard to hold on to, noisy and vibrating and often can’t be used in these situations. They end up downscaling their tools to a set of drills to make holes and then knock the concrete out –but it is extremely time consuming and isn’t clean cut. USAR would like a clean cut for the safety of the people trapped and their technicians,” Mr Edgar says.
Throughout the year Mr Edgar has attended training exercises with the New Zealand Fire Service USAR central team based in Palmerston North. He studied how a concrete cutting chainsaw could be used in building collapse situations and how technicians keep themselves safe.
“I started off with traditional handles but when you are crawling around or cutting over your head, you need to be able to hold the chainsaw in multiple positions to maintain control. I have designed the handles with the versatility these technicians need to maintain control,” he says.
A chainsaw used in these conditions has to be emission free so, using battery over hydraulics, Mr Edgar has designed the chainsaw to be cordless with a rechargeable battery. The hydraulic power system gives the chainsaw the torque it needs while reducing noise and vibration. It will come with several batteries that last about 20 to 30 minutes each and can be plugged into an emergency generator to be recharged. It will weigh under six kilograms, compared to the usual eight kilograms for a chainsaw, and have multiple attachments and simple controls that will be easy to use in stressful situations when wearing gloves.
“The USAR team think it could potentially be a game changer for the work they do. For them, a lot of it has to do with their safety, whilst being able to get the job done effectively. We are asking these guys to risk their lives without equipment that is designed to be used in these situations," says Mr Edgar.
Royce Tatham, deputy team leader New Zealand Fire Service USAR central team and national adviser operations for USAR, believes that rescue teams would get immediate benefits from the capabilities of the tool.
“Oskar has identified a gap in the equipment available for USAR confined space rescue and has developed a tool that would reduce the time taken to breach concrete. This would reduce exposure to dangerous environments for USAR technicians and the time people are trapped.
“There is a real need for specialist equipment in the USAR and Humanitarian Aid Disaster Assessment and Relief (HADAR) space and development of this tool is crucial for the future,” Mr Tatham says.
Mr Edgar would like to see the chainsaw undergo further professional development before going into production. He has contacted and built a network of USAR professionals in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Chile, Sweden and the UK.
While the need for such a chainsaw is ultimately the result of a tragedy, such as recent devastating earthquakes in Italy, Ecuador and Nepal, Mr Edgar is pleased to have developed a product that may save lives and help people in a distressing, chaotic time.
A Massey University release
Massey University, Nov 4, 2016 - Crawling into a hole in the rubble and waiting for search dogs to find him gave Massey industrial design student Oskar Edgar an idea of how terrifying it is to be trapped in a collapsed building.
Mr Edgar has designed a purpose-built concrete cutting chainsaw prototype that could be a game changer for Urban Search and Rescue teams around the world. His design could reduce the time it takes to cut concrete in earthquake and disaster situations from two to three hours to around 15 minutes.
He has been working with the New Zealand Fire Service’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) central team to establish the challenges they face when rescuing people from collapsed buildings, as happened in the Christchurch earthquake.
“I identified a pretty serious problem that they encounter. In a building collapse, concrete creates voids where people are trapped. Their rescuers have to cut through concrete walls and floors and end up doing so in very confined spaces. Currently there is no specifically-designed equipment for these situations.
“It’s a very complex issue. Concrete cutting tools are very heavy, hard to hold on to, noisy and vibrating and often can’t be used in these situations. They end up downscaling their tools to a set of drills to make holes and then knock the concrete out –but it is extremely time consuming and isn’t clean cut. USAR would like a clean cut for the safety of the people trapped and their technicians,” Mr Edgar says.
Throughout the year Mr Edgar has attended training exercises with the New Zealand Fire Service USAR central team based in Palmerston North. He studied how a concrete cutting chainsaw could be used in building collapse situations and how technicians keep themselves safe.
“I started off with traditional handles but when you are crawling around or cutting over your head, you need to be able to hold the chainsaw in multiple positions to maintain control. I have designed the handles with the versatility these technicians need to maintain control,” he says.
A chainsaw used in these conditions has to be emission free so, using battery over hydraulics, Mr Edgar has designed the chainsaw to be cordless with a rechargeable battery. The hydraulic power system gives the chainsaw the torque it needs while reducing noise and vibration. It will come with several batteries that last about 20 to 30 minutes each and can be plugged into an emergency generator to be recharged. It will weigh under six kilograms, compared to the usual eight kilograms for a chainsaw, and have multiple attachments and simple controls that will be easy to use in stressful situations when wearing gloves.
“The USAR team think it could potentially be a game changer for the work they do. For them, a lot of it has to do with their safety, whilst being able to get the job done effectively. We are asking these guys to risk their lives without equipment that is designed to be used in these situations," says Mr Edgar.
Royce Tatham, deputy team leader New Zealand Fire Service USAR central team and national adviser operations for USAR, believes that rescue teams would get immediate benefits from the capabilities of the tool.
“Oskar has identified a gap in the equipment available for USAR confined space rescue and has developed a tool that would reduce the time taken to breach concrete. This would reduce exposure to dangerous environments for USAR technicians and the time people are trapped.
“There is a real need for specialist equipment in the USAR and Humanitarian Aid Disaster Assessment and Relief (HADAR) space and development of this tool is crucial for the future,” Mr Tatham says.
Mr Edgar would like to see the chainsaw undergo further professional development before going into production. He has contacted and built a network of USAR professionals in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Chile, Sweden and the UK.
While the need for such a chainsaw is ultimately the result of a tragedy, such as recent devastating earthquakes in Italy, Ecuador and Nepal, Mr Edgar is pleased to have developed a product that may save lives and help people in a distressing, chaotic time.
A Massey University release
The Commerce Commission has today released a draft determination proposing to continue the regulation of number portability services for both local and mobile telephone numbers for another 5 years. Number portability enables a customer to switch telecommunications providers while retaining the same telephone number.
Telecommunications Commissioner Dr Stephen Gale said the draft determination included proposals to make some changes to the number portability terms to improve its efficiency and workability.
"Being able to keep the same phone number makes it much easier and convenient for consumers to switch between providers, which well over a million New Zealanders have done since number portability was introduced in 2007. This enhances competition in the market as it removes a disincentive for consumers to leave their current provider if they see a better deal elsewhere,” Dr Gale said.
“We are proposing to extend number portability through to December 2021 with some minor changes. These include extending the standard hours of operation to guarantee consumers can switch providers on a Saturday. We also intend to tidy up some terms to make it easier for telecommunications providers to undertake network updates.”
A copy of the draft determination can be found on our website.
Submissions close on 1 December 2016.
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