Kiwi travellers are quite happy to leave their partners at home, but they will seldom part with their mobile phones. That is according to Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker, which has uncovered New Zealanders have some quirky travel habits.The app’s survey found 73% of Kiwis admit to preferring to travel with their phones than with a loved one (46%). It also revealed Kiwis are not above showing off – nearly half of those aged 18 to 29 (47%) and 47% of 30 to 39 year olds use social media on holiday to flaunt their snaps.The global study, which followed the habits of 9200 tourists across 31 countries, showed today’s Kiwi traveller makes three trips a year and stays in a hotel 10 nights ofthe year. For 4% of Kiwi travellers, the hotel becomes their home for a month. While travelling, 58% of Kiwis use their phones to search for restaurants andfood markets and 55% use them for directions apps.Lust is driving Kiwi lovers to hotels, with 26% of those surveyed admitting to having made a same day hotel booking due to a successful date.
Source: TravelInc
Wellington, Beehive, June 16, 2016 - Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has announced $34.5 million in funding to develop new Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (CAPEs) in New Zealand universities as part of the Innovative New Zealand package in Budget 2016.
“New Zealand’s future is increasingly tied in with the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Joyce says. “With some 71 per cent of our total trade already with Asia-Pacific countries, we must secure our future by investing more in preparing our young people to understand the language, culture and economies of this diverse range of countries.”
CAPEs will be cross-institutional centres of excellence in the language, culture, politics and economics of countries or groups of countries within the Asia-Pacific region. As well as teaching about and researching these countries, they will be mandated to help all learners, exporters, and government agencies improve their understanding of the countries and their languages.
“Each CAPE will develop strong linkages with its region of specialty, facilitate student and faculty exchanges, and become a focal point for New Zealand’s relationship with that part of the world. I anticipate the CAPEs training language-capable graduates for New Zealand exporters, MFAT, and other government agencies with posts offshore.”
“We initially intend to set up three CAPEs headquartered in universities around the country specialising in countries or groups of countries in North Asia, South East Asia and Latin America. They will be modelled on the successful Centres of Research Excellence programme. The TEC will be consulting soon on the details of the programme and seeking expressions of interest.”
The CAPEs programme is a key initiative in the Export Markets stream of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda, and a major initiative in the internationalisation stream of the Tertiary Education Strategy.
“CAPEs are a crucial investment in New Zealand’s future. As a small country we only succeed if we are linked into the global world, and in particular, the Asia Pacific region. I am confident that this new programme will help develop more globally-connected Kiwis that can lead the way in connecting New Zealand with the Asia-Pacific region and a very prosperous future.
Wellington, Beehive, Thursday 30 June 2016 - Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced the successful applicants to host three New Zealand-China Research Collaboration Centres, supported through New Zealand’s Catalyst Fund for international science collaboration.
The centres will enable better scientific engagement with China, bringing together researchers across New Zealand in the areas of water research, food safety and security and non-communicable diseases. A total of $3.75 million in funding is available for the three centres over five years.
“These centres will be creating more enduring relationships with China, building on existing bilateral programmes,” Mr Joyce says.
The successful applicants are:
* Lincoln University, hosting the New Zealand-China Water Research Centre * Massey University, hosting the New Zealand-China Food Protection Network – a Collaborative Centre for Food Safety and Security * The University of Otago, hosting the New Zealand-China Non-Communicable Diseases Collaboration Centre.
The three centres were chosen for their strong and inclusive networks across New Zealand, along with their extensive connections with world-leading institutions in China,” Mr Joyce says.
“International science and innovation connections are important for a small nation like ours. They bring new ideas, technology and sources of funding into New Zealand, and are crucial for the export of innovations generated in New Zealand.
“China is a very important collaboration partner for New Zealand and these centres will deliver on a key action identified at the New Zealand–China Joint Commission Meeting on science and technology in April last year.
“Our scientists will be provided with the tools they need to effectively engage with Chinese institutions. They will be supported to share their connections and experiences, using this knowledge to form and strengthen research partnerships with China.”
The Catalyst Fund supports and fosters collaborations leveraging international science and innovation for New Zealand’s benefit.
International science and innovation connectivity is a key contributor to achieving the vision of National Statement of Science Investment, providing an opportunity to drive increasing excellence and the potential for impact of New Zealand research.
Public summaries of the three centres can be found here.
Kaitangata, la ville sans chômage qui brade ses maisons pour attirer des salariés
Clutha’s Kaitangata picked as ideal blend of jobs and surroundings
Wellington, June 29, 2016 - The transition to New Zealand’s new Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) is ahead of schedule with more than 50 per cent of commercial maritime operations now in the system or completing the application process, Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss says.
All commercial operators must be in MOSS by 1 July 2018 — four years after the 1 July 2014 start date — with an estimated 1660 operations, covering more than 2600 vessels, expected to complete the entry process.
As of 28 June, 747 MOSS applications, covering 1602 vessels, have been approved and a further 141 applications, involving more than 200 vessels, are underway.
“MOSS is the biggest change for the maritime industry in 15 years and I’d like to thank operators for their cooperation. Feedback, particularly from smaller operators, has been positive,” Mr Foss says.
“MOSS offers considerable benefits over the previous system. For example, new operating certificates have a 10-year life, compared to four years under the old Safe Ship Management system. Good operators also potentially face fewer audits which means reduced compliance costs.
“Also, MOSS audits cover the whole operation. This means operators do not face an audit for each individual vessel in their fleet every two years.”
Operators in MOSS receive their first audit within two years of entering the system, and the next within four years of the first audit. If they are continuing to operate well, they are likely to receive only one further audit before the end of the 10-year period.
Will suppress non-tariff barriers to NZ specialist agri processing equipment
Christchurch, June 29, 2016 – New Zealand owned and Los Angeles-based company ShapeShifter is producing computer aided design systems for manufacturers of some of the biggest global clothing brands in the world such as Nike and Adidas.
ShapeShifter’s Prophet (SSP) software enables manufacturers to reduce their fabric costs through reducing fabric consumption.
The software does this by providing the very best cutting solution resulting in fabric savings which can translate into tens of millions of dollars of savings per year for the largest manufacturers, ShapeShifter chief executive Tim White says.
“Fabric costs in some cases may need to be balanced with cutting time however and a number of our customers also want to see a marked improvement in cutting time freeing up precious capacity in their factories so that they can either increase through-put, or meet customer-imposed deadlines.
“Because our Prophet software is so powerful and utilises the massive processing capacity available in the cloud, customers are able to process an infinite number of orders concurrently whereas with other competing software these orders need to be queued resulting in a considerable amount of lost time waiting for results.
“The speed of our software enables merchandisers and sales staff to provide very fast and accurate quotes for their customers. Historically, most manufacturers have been unable to provide accurate quotes within 24 hours and run the risk of over-quoting and losing the job, or underquoting and losing money on the order. Our Prophet software enables them to accurately quote in 10 to 15 minutes which is a game-changer for them.
“Our software isn’t the cheapest on the market by any means. Our customers are paying on average $US10,000 to $US15,000 per month for their subscription. We have zero customer churn in the business which I believe reflects the significant and quantifiable savings our customers are seeing from using the software.
“In the next 18 months we see opportunities to explore new solutions and expand on what we currently have. I believe there are some significant changes coming in the market which has seen relatively little technological change in the last 15 years. ShapeShifter is well-placed to take advantage of these changes.
“While ShapeShifter has most of its team headquartered in Los Angeles, the parent firm is a New Zealand company with the majority of revenues returned to New Zealand. We have no permanent staff or operations in New Zealand however.”
In the past 12 months ShapeShifter’s focus has been on improving market presence in Asia particular in Taiwan and Vietnam. The company has substantial experience in sportswear and expects to have its customer support team set up in Vietnam this year, producing good growth in the region. ShapeShifter is one of the first three New Zealand companies immediately engaging with the newly opened Kiwi Connection tech hub in Ho Chi Minh City.
The hub is founded and operated by Augen Software Group, a Kiwi tech business who initially established their permanent local presence in Vietnam in 2005, in order to tap into the abundance in technical resource to support New Zealand’s rapid growth in innovation.
As Vietnam and the ASEAN region continue to advance international trade, there is increase in demand for technology products and services to lift business and industry capabilities and competitiveness. Augen chief executive Mitchell Pham sees Kiwi Connection as the answer to accelerating presence and engagement for New Zealand tech businesses to support such growth in the region.
A Make Lemonade NZ press release
Wellington. June 29, 2016 - A strengthened code of conduct for engineers requiring serious deficiencies in buildings or structures to be notified to regulatory authorities was tabled in Parliament today by Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.
“Engineers have an obligation to public health and safety which goes beyond their client. This strengthened code of conduct requires engineers who know of a potential ‘adverse consequence’ that is not being appropriately dealt with to notify regulators. This is a significant change recommended by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Canterbury Earthquakes,” Dr Smith says.
“The tragedy of the CTV building, which claimed the lives of 115 people when it collapsed, is that engineers had identified flaws in its design. This was many years earlier during a pre-purchase check but this information was not passed on to regulatory authorities. The code will make plain that this obligation overrides any commercial contract or confidentiality agreement with a client. This change is an important step in improving New Zealand’s engineering systems and safety in managing complex risks, such as earthquakes.
“I also welcome the requirement for engineers to take action if they suspect another engineer has violated this code. An explicit obligation for engineers to keep their knowledge and skills current is another positive change.
“This strengthened code, developed by the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, is an important step in ensuring we learn every possible lesson from the tragic loss of life in the Christchurch earthquakes. It follows changes to the Building Act for earthquake-prone older buildings and to the Resource Management Act for managing natural hazards.”
The changes come into effect this week, on 1 July.
The Labour Party exists only to help poor declared Glenda Jackson MP
Wellington, Wednesday 29 June 2016 - The Reserve Bank is positioning itself to meet the challenges posed by the economic and financial environment, Governor Graeme Wheeler said today when releasing the Statement of Intent (SOI) for 2016-2019.
The Reserve Bank supports economic growth by targeting price stability, promoting a sound and efficient financial system and meeting the public's currency needs.
The SOI, signed off on 21 June, outlines the Bank's priorities for the next three years, and is framed around three themes: enhancing the Bank’s policy frameworks; continuing to strengthen the Bank’s internal and external engagement; and improving infrastructure and reducing enterprise risk.
"New Zealand’s economy is expanding, but there are headwinds and many uncertainties around the outlook,” Mr Wheeler said. “New Zealand’s financial system remains sound and well placed to support economic expansion, but rapid increases in house prices and low dairy sector incomes pose financial stability risks.
"We are working to deepen the Bank’s understanding of the current drivers of low inflation and the consequences for the economy and monetary policy.
"The Bank is implementing changes in response to the regulatory stocktake and reviewing key financial policies to best support the soundness and efficiency of the financial system. We are also working with the banks to further develop the stress-testing framework for the New Zealand banking system."
The Bank is also working to replace the Exchange Settlement Account System (ESAS) and select a replacement system for its securities and settlement and depository services (NZ Clear). Other key projects include implementing the roadmap for best-practice management of the balance sheet and finances, and developing a plan for the future custody and distribution of currency.
"The Bank has a full work plan ahead, as it continually seeks to strengthen its performance and position itself to meet the challenges ahead," Mr Wheeler said.
More information: Statement of Intent (PDF 1.2MB)