Another barrier to consumer empowerment has fallen to technological disruption with the launch of a free credit rating service.  CreditSimple.co.nz brings an overseas model to the local scene and gives instant access to an individual's credit score based on information held by credit agencies.

The website makes its money by then enabling users to get better deals from banks, energy companies and telecommunication providers, who are big users of credit agency services, and taking a commission on the deal.

Continue to full article

First industrial-scale heist since 1855.

The clean getaway of the Ashburton rustlers and their 500 –cow heist underlines the imminence of New Zealand of stock theft as a continuing threat. The theft is the first such large-scale one in more than a generation.

In New Zealand a 500 plus herd is considered a large one and this is the first incident in which such a large number of farm stock have been officially reported as missing.

The cows, in calf, appear not have been insured thus indicating a straight out rustling operation. The non-insurance of the animals points to the rarity in New Zealand of the rustling problem especially on the industrial scale of this one.

Even though rustling is rarely referred to in New Zealand, farmers are constantly aware of the incipient problem and in recent years it has led to increasing friction between agrarian interests and the national promotion of the leisure-tourist sector.

Farmers are eager to cut off roads to scenic areas, notably rivers. There are no farm right-of-ways in the British tradition.

Neither is there the tradition in New Zealand of open-range grazing and this has meant that branding has never been a feature of cattle identification. Damage to hides, and thus diminution of value, remains another factor here.

The standard identification is the ear tag, often carrying digital data. A problem here is that the ear tag technique invented in New Zealand was not designed to counter rustling.

The mid Canterbury heist mystery-within-a-mystery is why such a large scale cattle rustling operation should have been staged at such a low point in milk, and thus cow, values.

Still another element was the disappearance of the herd in mid-Canterbury, an agrarian region intensively farmed and thus well-populated by rural standards.

The episode is worrying for the grazing sector because it indicates the presence of an organised receiver or fencing structure. What has been the fate of the cattle?

Until this incident, the rustling pattern has been most evident in the more populous North Island where it has been confined to small batches of animals seized by opportunist malefactors.

The mid Canterbury rustling is the first such organised theft recorded in New Zealand since 1855.

This was carried out by James Mackenzie who identified a hitherto undiscovered geographical basin in the middle of the Southern Alps..Into this unknown zone he drove his immense and purloined flocks. Mackenzie, and his activities were only discovered when of necessity he had to drive his flocks to the main markets on the coast.

The Mackenzie Country, a vast and stark area dotted with lakes is named after him. It was Mackenzie who was the genesis in New Zealand of the myth of the romantic moonlight outlaw partnered only by his dog. He is commemorated in statue (pictured).

For New Zealand graziers though there is nothing alluring about the prospect of there being in existence an organised criminal structure supporting the modern version of Mackenzie.

From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk

It may seem like a simple concept in the Web 2.0 era: connect every 3D printer on the planet through a single network. However, this idea has broad implications for the way that we produce our goods and, as the idea of distributed manufacturing starts to evolve, these implications will be felt more and more.

In a future in which almost all of our goods are produced locally and on demand, we may look back at Dutch-American start-up 3D Hubs as a pioneer in the space. In fact, to this author's knowledge, the firm is one of the few that has successfully implemented and maintained a distributed manufacturing model where anyone can upload a 3D model and have it printed by the closest 3D printer available.

To learn more about 3D Hubs' vast network of over 34,000 3D printers, ENGINEERING.com spoke with 3D Hubs Cofounder and CEO Bram de Zwart, who was able to discuss the past, present and future of his exciting start-up.

What Is Distributed Manufacturing?

Continue to full article

Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges today announced the start of the Block Offer 2017 process for awarding oil and gas exploration permits.

Consultation with iwi begins now and will begin with local authorities from October 17 in the areas being proposed for onshore and offshore exploration.

“This is an important first step in the Block Offer process. Feedback from iwi and local authorities ensures that any areas of sensitivity are identified and carefully considered before the tender round is finalised,” Mr Bridges says.

Schedule 4 areas (including national parks and marine reserves) and World Heritage sites are excluded from the Block Offer process.

Consultation will take place on four proposed offshore areas, one proposed offshore/onshore area, and two proposed onshore areas, covering a total area of around 508,691 square kilometres.

“Since the Government adopted the annual Block Offer approach in 2012 we have attracted multiple experienced and capable operators to explore New Zealand’s potential.

“I acknowledge the challenging low oil-price environment that industry is currently facing but we know commodity prices are cyclical. The Government remains committed to providing a stable and predictable regime.”

The consultation period for Block Offer 2017 runs until 18 November 2016. The final tender area will be announced in March next year.

Further information is available at http://www.nzpam.govt.nz/cms/investors/permits/block-offers/block-offer-2017.

Primary Industries Ministers Nathan Guy and Jo Goodhew have welcomed $3.1 million in new funding for 13 climate change research projects in the agriculture and forestry sectors.

The grants were announced today by the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) research programme.

“This funding plays an important part in helping our primary industries prepare for the future challenges of climate change,” says Mr Guy.

“$935,000 is being invested in three projects to analyse soil carbon on hill country farms and under irrigation systems.

“These projects and others like greenhouse gas mitigation research will help build our knowledge around the impacts of climate change on the sector and how we can adapt and mitigate these effects.”

Associate Minister for Primary Industries Jo Goodhew has welcomed a $250,000 grant for a review of climate change research in New Zealand focusing on forests by the New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd.

“Forestry is one of New Zealand’s largest and cheapest forms of carbon storage and will play an important role in adapting to climate change. We need to keep building our knowledge in this area if we are to ensure our forests continue to thrive in a changing climate,” says Mrs Goodhew.

More information on the successful projects is available at: http://mpi.govt.nz/news-and-resources/media-releases/3-1-million-towards-climate-change-research-projects/

Customs is investing in a world-class patrol vessel to reinforce and enhance the protection of New Zealand’s maritime border, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“Customs has always had a strong maritime role that spans across its 176-year history. While the early days of chasing tobacco smugglers are long gone, maintaining its capabilities to respond to threats is as crucial as ever.

“I’m delighted to announce this new vessel, which will be locally-designed, purpose-built, and equipped with state-of-the-art electronics. It will boost Customs’ capabilities to identify risk and carry out enforcement work beyond our territorial waters.”

“The decision comes after 15 months of consultation and contribution by partner agencies and maritime experts to confirm the best vessel to safeguard the future.

“The new vessel will be based in Auckland, and operate with a crew of four Customs officers with specialist maritime expertise. Delivery is expected in 2017-2018,” Ms Wagner says.

Customs’ new Hawk V will replace Hawk IV, which has been in service for 18 years. It will be similar in size and shape to New Zealand Police’s vessel Deodar III, and similar in design to vessels operated by New Zealand Coast Guard and Royal Victorian Police, which have proved extremely successful.

With the continual growth in the use of wood fuel for heating the Bioenergy Association is increasing its support for wood fuelled heat plant operators and maintenance staff, helping plant owners improve the performance of their plant and encourage others to move from coal to wood fuel.

“The amount of wood fuel replacing coal is growing each year and we want to ensure heat plant operating and maintenance staff are well supported,” says the Association’s Executive Officer Brian Cox.

The Bioenergy Association is holding a forum for heat plant owners, operators and maintenance staff in Christchurch on 27 September.

“The forum will allow heat plant owners and operators to share experiences and learn from each other about how to optimise wood fuelled heat plant operation,” says Mr Cox. More information about the forum is available at http://www.bioenergy.org.nz/event/heat-plant-operator-forum

He says the Bioenergy Association is increasing its focus on efficient use of wood energy facilities through its continuing professional development programme and other member events so those contemplating moving from coal to wood fuel are comfortable with its use because wood fuel performs quite differently to coal.

“The Forum will be held in Christchurch because in the last few years the hospital, schools and horticulturalists in the region have been installing a number of wood fuelled heat plant and there is a growing need to support them.”

The Bioenergy Association is also developing more training courses and regularly holds webinars so members can keep up to date with the latest best practice in the fast growing wood fuel sector.

About the New Zealand Bioenergy AssociationBioenergy has the potential to add revenue of $6 billion per year to the country’s economy.

The Bioenergy Association helps its members to develop and grow their bioenergy businesses, raises awareness of the benefits of bioenergy and provides the latest information about the bioenergy sector, both in New Zealand and internationally.

Its Vision is for 25 percent of New Zealand’s consumer energy supply to be from bioenergy by 2040.

The Port of Melbourne has been sold to a consortium including Queensland Infrastructure Corporation, Global Infrastructure Partners and Canada’s Borealis for $9.7 billion, a price the Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas called a “pleasant surprise”.

The ABC reports that state legislation enabling the 50-year lease to the Lonsdale consortium passed parliament in March. A price of $6 billion was initially predicted.

Continue

Perth based Transbeam Industries, welding and fabrication experts, and Bruce Rock Engineering (BRW), heavy road equipment manufacturers, recently completed a merger of their West Australian operations.  For BRW one of the highlights of the merger  and in which they saw considerable value was their access to Transfield's new plasma profile cutting machine that Transfield had purchased from Kinetic Engineering in Auckland, New Zealand which in consultation with a German company had modified to integrate the machine with stud welding.

Pictured a 60 metre BRW manufactured long road train

If you're considering buying a new PC then one of the biggest questions is whether to invest in a Windows or OS X machine? In this feature we take a look at the advantages and drawbacks of both.

It’s a battle that has raged across time and space. Two sides with sworn armies of loyalists, locked eternally in a struggle for dominance. We’ve seen it played out so many times: Android vs iOS, Xbox vs PlayStation, Canon vs Nikon, FIFA vs Pro Evo, ZX Spectrum vs Commodore 64, but today we look not upon those minor conflicts. Instead our eyes turn to the thunderous colossuses of Mac vs PC.  Which is the better platform? Is there even a true winner? Some of these questions cannot be answered, but in this feature we will put the two platforms to the test so you can see which one is the best for you.

Continue to full article