Emirates has today made over 35 destinations in Europe, including its newest gateway, Zagreb in Croatia, even more attractive with the introduction of its latest Early Bird sale fares from New Zealand.
Early Bird Economy Class return fares to Europe are on sale from $1,549, and Business Class return fares start from $7,199 – including all taxes. The fare sale runs until March 6, for travel from February 6 to November 30, 2017. Terms and conditions apply.
Emirates is also providing the extra incentive of additional reward Miles under its Skywards frequent flyer programme, which is free to join. In taking advantage of the latest special fares, New Zealand travellers can register with Skywards and earn an additional 10,000 reward Miles in Economy Class and 15,000 Miles in Business Class. Customers simply register and book by March 31 for travel until June 15 2017 to receive the additional Miles.
Emirates offers four daily A380 services from Auckland as well as a daily Christchurch A380 service with direct connections in Dubai, to its attractive network of destinations across Europe and the United Kingdom.
“While many travellers still want to land in Europe at one of the major gateways, Emirates also offers the opportunity to fly to destinations with direct connections to river and sea cruises and land-touring start points outside of the main capitals, as well as taking advantage of rail-passes available through Emirates” said Emirates’ New Zealand regional manager, Chris Lethbridge. “The latest Early Bird fares provide the opportunity to reach any of these destination choices at very attractive fares.”Passengers travelling on Emirates’ 491-seat, double-decker A380 aircraft from New Zealand will enjoy spacious cabins and experience a peaceful journey in the world’s quietest long-range jet. They can use the onboard Wi-Fi; indulge in food prepared by international chefs, and be entertained by Emirates’ award-winning ice system which offers over 2,600 channels of inflight entertainment across all cabins.
Emirates is the largest operator of the Airbus A380 with 92 now in its fleet, and has carried over 65 million passengers on its flagship aircraft since 2008.So far, Emirates has introduced A380 services to 45 destinations across its network, with Johannesburg to be added in February; and Casablanca, Narita and Sao Paulo to be added in March.
Bookings can be made through www.emirates.com\nz or freephone 0508 EMIRATES (0508 364 728), or through travel agents.
| An Emirates release | January 31, 2017 ||
Kodak is bringing back traditional film due to overwhelming consumer demand. The photography company said that it plans to start selling its Ektachrome film before the end of the year, with others to follow.
Ektachrome was phased out in 2012 but among professional filmmakers there has been a 'resurgence' in sales, Kodak said.
More stories > > >
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4163944/Kodak-says-s-bringing-Ektachrome-film.html
http://www.telegiz.com/articles/14491/20170130/kodak-ektachrome-film-35mm-format.htm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11790937
Unprecedented infrastructure investment projections across New Zealand, Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region have prompted Tonkin + Taylor to launch a massive UK-based talent drive.
The boom years ahead are being driven by both the public and private sectors, with the New Zealand Government alone earmarking $NZ50 billion for large-scale infrastructure projects over the next 10 years. In a similar vein, the New South Wales Government has announced a $AUS20 billion plan to “turbocharge” the NSW economy.
T+T intends to stay ahead of the game and our new recruitment-focused website is already up and running at www.tonkintaylor.co.nz/careers/working-in-new-zealand
Next month our executives and recruiters head for London and the Down Under Live Job Expo, which will take place on February 25-26. Their mission is to attract star-quality engineering and science professionals to join our already exceptionally talented and internationally diverse team.
We’re inviting UK professionals thinking of a seachange to Explore + Solve + Create; to explore new horizons in New Zealand and Australia, solve exciting new infrastructure challenges and create an enviable work/life balance.
Our award-winning engineers, scientists, planners and project managers are the most critical component in ensuring our ability to continue delivering the high quality work T+T is known for. It’s vital that we attract the best of the best.
Richard Hancy, T+T’s Executive Leader of Engineering Services says that a strong economy, combined with a very positive economic outlook, has developed the perfect investment storm with both the public and private sectors investing heavily for the future.
“As a result, planning and construction related activity in transportation, commercial buildings, water infrastructure, housing and many other sectors is getting busier and busier.
“As a specialist engineering and environmental consulting firm, Tonkin + Taylor is already deeply embedded in these investment programmes, and expects that involvement to increase looking forward.”
The move aligns Tonkin + Taylor with the New Zealand Government’s long-term goal of providing resilient and coordinated infrastructure that contributes to a strong economy and high living standards. Its projected $NZ50 billion spend over the next decade includes a $NZ13.9 billion land transport programme to be commissioned by 2018, a $1.8 billion investment in local infrastructure and a further $NZ2.2 billion tagged for Crown assets associated with the Christchurch rebuild.
Further challenges and opportunities will arise as networks need expanding or renewing and cities come to grips with an ageing, increasingly urbanised population and the need for changing technologies.
To meet the increasing level of demand requires an increase in T+T’s capacity and capabilities.
Richard Hancy explains: “Now is the time for us to look beyond our traditional local markets and seek to enrich our team drawing upon the global market.
“T+T has had many successful recruits join from the UK over the years, and as a result has some great connections within the UK engineering and environmental markets. We have decided to take advantage of this, and proactively engage with the UK market to hopefully attract some new stars into our business.”
Sourcing overseas talent will not only help to address a critical shortage of engineers and scientists within New Zealand and Australia but also allow T+T to maintain a critical international perspective in a rapidly changing world.
| A Tonkin+ Taylor news item | January 26, 2017 ||
Regular container shipping is returning to Wellington, with weekly visits by a geared ship linking central region businesses with international markets.
From Sunday 12th February an ANL ship will visit the Port weekly to drop off and pick up containers with its own cranes.
Chief Executive Derek Nind said the port’s gantry cranes were made inoperable by the Kaikoura earthquake on 14 November last year. Work is underway to resume modified crane operations within four to six months.
“CentrePort understands that customers have faced significant challenges as a result of the disruption caused by the earthquake. That’s why we’ve worked closely with ANL on this initiative, which will make it easier for central region businesses to connect with international markets.”
Noel Coom, General Manager of ANL New Zealand, said he expected the service to be well-utilised by central New Zealand shippers.
“We’re excited to be working with CentrePort on this initiative. By adapting our operations we are bringing regular container shipping in Wellington. We’ve already visited the Port since the earthquake, and this scheduled service will further meet the needs of central region businesses.”
The service will connect Wellington shippers directly with Australia, and will provide an opportunity for them to connect with services between North America, North Asia, South East Asia and globally.
CentrePort’s key trades of ferries, fuel, logs, cars, and cruise ships continue to operate.
| A Centreport release | January 30, 2017 ||
New Zealand’s top two export commodities, meat and dairy, both fell by value in 2016, Statistics New Zealand said today.
The total value of all export goods was $48.4 billion for the year ended December 2016, down $544 million from the previous year. This is the second annual fall in a row for exports. The latest annual total is $1.6 billion less than the high of the 2014 year.
The biggest fall by value was for meat and edible offal, our second largest export group, with sales down $909 million to $5.9 billion. The fall in meat was driven by beef (down $481 million) and lamb (down $415 million). The United States accounted for three-quarters of the fall in beef, while the European Union (EU) accounted for nearly half of the fall in lamb. The amount of meat fell 7.4 percent from 2015, with beef falling 14 percent and lamb falling 4.6 percent.
“The large fall in meat exports for 2016 reflects a decline from the record meat season in 2015 for both value and quantity,” international statistics senior manager Nicola Growden said. “The 2016 year’s meat exports have returned to levels similar to those seen in 2014.”
The quantity of milk powder, butter, and cheese exported rose to a new high of 3.0 million tonnes, despite a near 3 percent fall in the value of dairy exports to $11.2 billion.
The quantity of milk powder, butter, and cheese has been rising since 2013 and is now 14 percent higher than it was then. The quantity exported to China was 25 percent of the total in 2016, slightly up from 23 percent in 2015.
The value of imported goods was $51.6 billion in 2016, down $883 million (1.7 percent) from the high of the December 2015 year. The fall was led by cheaper oil and petrol, and partly offset by a rise in cars, trucks, and parts.
Oil and petrol fell $840 million in 2016, mainly due to crude oil (down $666 million). The value of crude oil has been falling for the past four years, and is now 55 percent lower than the 2012 value ($5.7 billion). The amount of crude oil imported rose 2.3 percent in 2016, and has been increasing for the past two years.
In 2016 there was an annual trade deficit of $3.2 billion (6.6 percent of exports). This is smaller than the deficit of $3.5 billion for the December 2015 year. The trade shortfall in 2015 was the largest December year deficit since 2008.
Overseas Merchandise Trade: December 2016 – for more data and analysis
Fonterra’s Research and Development Centre has developed a new white butter product to meet growing demand from manufacturers in the Middle East market.
The New Zealand dairy co-op developed the product alongside its global ingredients business NZMP.
Fonterra’s butter is renowned amongst Middle East consumers for its golden appearance thanks to milk from grass fed cows.
However, a niche segment of manufacturers prefer white butter as a processing ingredient for their food products.
These Middle Eastern food manufacturers have traditionally sourced butter from grain fed cows which produce dairy products with a pale colour, according to Fonterra.
The co-op seized an opportunity to respond to customer needs by developing a high quality white butter ingredient, Fonterra’s Dairy Foods Category Director of NZMP, Casey Thomas said.
Produced through an innovative manufacturing process, Fonterra is now able to reduce the golden appearance of the butter without impacting its quality.
“While our yellow butter already sees great success in this market, we saw an opportunity to tap into this new area for customers to use in a variety of applications such as spreadable jar cheese, recombined cream cheese, and could soon be used in ice cream,” he said.
This innovative approach is already seeing strong results, NZMP General Manager of Middle East and Africa, Santiago Aon said.
Our customers have had positive feedback about the white butter, it is performing to our expectations as a high quality ingredient for food businesses across the Middle East region.
The Fonterra Research and Development Centre and NZMP team both have a long history of partnering with customers to not only provide them with steady supplies of ingredients, but creating business solutions with them.
The product is now available in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain, Turkey and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi co-op plans to the launch the product in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and even South America in the future.
| First published on Agriland | January 29, 2017 ||
Isolation imposed time lag continues as New Zealand characteristic
The delivery of the earthquake struck coastal township of Kaikoura with the second syllable pronounced as in “cow” has become the signal shibboleth or password designed to reveal the utterer, and the organisation that employs them, as being politically correct.
Kai- COW – ra has now replaced as the dominant pc call sign the previous place-name pronunciation which was KIDDY –KIDDY for the far northern township of Kerikeri.
Both these hallmark pronunciations had their genesis in New Zealand’s government broadcasting operation.
This was in spite of the state broadcasting corporation’s late doyen of the Maori language Bill Kerikeri always pronouncing his own name with the two rs firmly sounded.
The continuing trend for New Zealand official commentators – broadcasters to dolly up the delivery of longstanding Maori names continues to demonstrate the way in which the fashionable delivery of targeted place names especially remains such an encoded hallmark of modish conformity.
Other Maori-derivation place names continue to be pronounced with the kou syllable pronounced in the traditional way as coo.
Some officials continue to go counter-stream meanwhile. For example the ubiquitous cabinet member Steven Joyce MP continues to use the koo rendition of Kaikoura.
The flourishing of the state-broadcasting engendered movement to put a smooth modernist emollient spin on strong Maori word pronunciation is another indicator that New Zealand remains in its customary time-lag in regard to international societal trends.
This in turn continues to support the belief that communications globalisation is no substitute for geographical isolation, the tyranny of distance.
Another indicator of this was the broadcasting use of the term happy festivity as a substitute for happy christmas thus sidestepping the invocation of any christianity.
Meanwhile in order of frequency of usage these were the other modish substitutes that have become standardised in the government broadcasting system.
Conversation DiscussionBirthing Maternity...(nothing to do with ships)Choices Decisions/options/ alternativesEarly childhood KindergartenFamily now refers to staff/employees/ previously “team”Interventions Social welfare involvementIssues ProblemsParenting this gerund replaces the old “bringing up” of children (“raising” in the US)Procedure Surgical operationResilient SustainableSecurity Supply of something, as in food “security.”Wellness HealthFishers FishermenMedical event Usuallly refers to coronary or stroke
| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Monday 30 January, 2017 ||
Ξ CentrePort Resumes Regular Container Service
Ξ White butter is taking off in the Middle East
Ξ Trump seeks Aust, NZ trade deals: adviser
Ξ Labour and Greens fire united opening salvo at 'tired govt'
Ξ US tariffs on Mexico could hurt Fisher & Paykel
Ξ Andrew Little's Speech at State of the Nation 2017
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has appointed University of Auckland’s Deputy Dean of Engineering, Margaret Hyland as its new Chief Scientist.
"We are delighted to announce Margaret’s appointment as Chief Scientist. This crucial leadership role will be important as we implement the National Statement of Science Investment, and will contribute to the deepening relationships between the Ministry and the science community," says Paul Stocks, Deputy Chief Executive Labour, Science and Enterprise.
Margaret, who is Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Auckland, holds a PhD from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and has spent her career specialising in aluminium technology, and the chemistry and engineering of material surfaces. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineering and, in addition to her numerous teaching awards, she was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Pickering Medal for excellence in technology by the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2015. Margaret was previously the Director of the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge.
"As Chief Scientist, Margaret will provide science leadership, and work with teams providing advice on science systems, policy and investment. She will be tasked with building on the existing strategic direction of the science system, with a particular eye on the capability of the sector and opportunities going forward. She will also play a crucial role in ensuring that the sector’s expertise and intelligence are captured and communicated during the development of policy and investment plans," Paul says.
Margaret will be seconded to MBIE for 80% of her time for the next two years from February 1 2017.
| A Beehive release | January 27, 2017 ||
An investment of over $270,000 in the technology mentoring programme Shadow Tech Days will help it inspire more young women into technology related careers, Youth Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
“This programme, run by NZ Tech, connects participants with women working in the tech sector, as well as women studying technology at a tertiary level,” says Ms Kaye.
“By spending a day in the workforce, participants get to experience first-hand what it’s like to work in a technology role.
“Ongoing mentoring and advice is also provided through contact with a tertiary student, to help participants progress their studies towards a tech career.
“The investment announced today is being made under the Partnership Fund which sees the Government co-invest with business, philanthropic, iwi and other partners to grow youth development opportunities.
“The Government will invest $75,000 in Shadow Tech Days, complemented by around $25,000 from NZ Tech towards programme management, and over $170,000 of staff time from participating technology firms.”
To date, Shadow Tech Days has been run in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The Partnership Fund investment will enable it to reach more young women in these areas, and also expand its reach to Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Dunedin.
“Time spent with a mentor and seeing how things operate in the actual workforce can be hugely beneficial to inspiring young people’s potential career path,” says Ms Kaye.
“The experiences this programme delivers are about building the confidence of young women, and equipping them with the knowledge and support to make positive decisions about their future.”
Shadow Tech Days is scheduled to take place during Techweek (6-14 May 2017).
| A Beehive release | January 27, 2017 ||
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