1 Nov: Pests and diseases from offshore can cause serious harm to New Zealand's unique environment and primary industries; and the Port of Tauranga is one of many potential gateways. Biosecurity week activities highlight the importance of biosecurity and the role that everyone in the Bay of Plenty can play in managing unwanted biosecurity risks Kiwifruit Vine Health Chief Executive BarryO’Neil told FreshPlaza .
“We’re looking forward to talking to people who work on and around the Port about biosecurity – it’s such an important issue and one that really does affect everyone.”
“People who own and work at local businesses remember what Psa has done to the kiwifruit industry. There are bugs and pests that we don’t want here in New Zealand because of the devastating effect they will have not only on kiwifruit, but on the whole of our horticulture industry and environment.”
“A good example is a particular type of bug we’re concerned about – it’s one of our most unwanted and called the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. It’s a major nuisance that attacks fruit when it feeds and ruins it.It infests homes and in the USA we’ve seen it stop people from being able to sit outside their homes and have a simple BBQ”.
Port staff, transitional facilities, associated industries (such as transporters and other logistical operators), and biosecurity experts will be meeting at several events over the next six days to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of managing biosecurity risk.
Special guest Ruud 'The Bug Man' Kleinpaste will also be attending several industry and community school group presentations during the week to discuss the vital role of everyone who works and lives in and around the Port and local community in keeping unwanted pests and diseases out of New Zealand.
Throughout the week there will also be discussions with post-harvest facilities and transitional facilities to learn more about the frontline biosecurity systems they have in place. Biosecurity Week is part of the biosecurity excellence partnership between Port of Tauranga, the Ministryfor Primary Industries, Kiwifruit Vine Health, NZ Avocado, Dairy NZ, Forestry Owners Association, NZ Customs and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Port of Tauranga Chief Executive Mark Cairns said the week provides a good opportunity to strengthen the significance of biosecurity within the Port community.
“Effective biosecurity awareness is critical to us running a successful business and being able to continue to service the Bay of Plenty region. The various events we’re holding for our staff, contractors and localbusinesses who regularly interact with us and our facilities will give us the chance to show people what they should be looking out for and what to do if they find anything.”
“It’s an opportunity to demonstrate the good work that happens here at the Port, day in day out, to keep an eye out.”
“Our people are at the frontline – they’re the ones most likely to first notice an unwanted pest on cargo, vehicles or equipment moving off the port. By knowing what to look for and reporting unfamiliar insectsor suspicious looking pests they help protect everyone’s livelihood and the future of the kiwifruit, avocado and forestry sectors.”
| A FreshPlaza release || November1, 2017 |||
1 Nov - Gartner analysts share insights on how organisations can scale in the digital era, but warn not everyone can make it through this change. Digital is already reshaping industries, says Val Sribar, senior vice president at Gartner. But there is a certain point where affected industries drastically need to take action. Once digital revenues for a sector hits 20 per cent of total revenue, the shakeout begins, he says.
This happened to the retail sector in 2005, when traditional stores were in denial about online shopping.
They thought everybody wanted to buy clothes in the stores, but customers flocked to online stores like Amazon.
Today, Amazon is the largest clothing retailer in the United States.
For the clothing industry, disruption is the new black, says Sribar, speaking at the keynote this week at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in the Gold Coast.
“This lesson in retail applies to every industry everywhere,” says Sribar. “Twenty per cent is the point of no return.” He says winners are alreading emerging, but some organisations will not make it through the digital shift.
The new competitors and disruptorsSribar says disruptors are finding new opportunities and are attacking the weaknesses of incumbent businesses.
They are serving unmet customer demands, finding ways to use excess capacity in the supply chain, employ new platforms for awareness and marketing and capitalise on new distribution channels.
Digitalisation also exposes the weakness of the incumbents, as new entrants offer more choices, and better customer experience and price.
Sribar points out incumbents who are not standing still amidst this disruption, are using new digital KPIs for the business, such as the Gartner Digital IQ Index to analyse their brand’s presence in social media, e-commerce, digital marketing and mobile.
Sribar says these organisations measure how many ecosystems they participate in, and the conversion rates in each.
Digital asks for deeper outcome-driven measures and this applies to all industries, including government, he says.
“If you don’t create new efficiencies, new value or new ways to engage with customers and constituents, you are destined to fall behind.”
He proffers three ways organisations can scale in the digital era.
First is to scale up by gaining efficiencies. Second is to scale across by taking capabilities learned from one nit to another, while creating a culture that rapidly learns and adapts. Third is to scale out by combining growth and speed that comes with digitalisation.
He says in this new environment, there will be high demand for skills in three areas - artificial intelligence (AI), digital security and Internet of Things.
Continue here to read the full article on CIO || November 1, 2017 |||
1 Nov: The Labour-led government may have found a way to create a ban on foreign home buyers without breaching the TPP, but its opposition to the ISDS may present a higher hurdle, as Sam Sachdeva reports for Newsroom. One surprise about the Government’s confirmation of its plan to ban foreigners from buying existing houses was how effortlessly it seemed to sidestep its trade obligations.
Making the announcement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker said the policy would not breach the TPP or any of its other existing trade deals, with the exception of Singapore.
However, an area where the Government will face greater difficulty is in its proposal to renegotiate the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses in the TPP.
The ISDS provisions, which allow foreign investors to take action against a TPP country if they believe it has breached its investment rules, have proved controversial.
| Continue here to read the full article | November 1, 2017 |||
31 Oct: Building consents for new homes fell in September 2017, following a recent run of increases, Stats NZ said today. “The seasonally adjusted number of new homes consented fell 2.3 percent in September compared with August, after rising in each of the previous four months,” prices, accommodation, and construction senior manager Jason Attewell said. “Home consents have trended upwards recently, and are at a level last seen in 2004.”Some 2,770 new homes were consented in September 2017, up 6.0 percent compared with the same month in 2016.
On an annual basis, 30,892 new homes were consented in the September 2017 year – up 3.0 percent compared with the September 2016 year, despite a large fall in Canterbury. The national increase was driven by townhouses and apartments, with slight falls for retirement village units and houses.
The regions consenting the most new homes in the September 2017 year were:
Auckland – 10,317 new homes (up 2.9 percent from the September 2016 year) Canterbury – 5,122 new homes (down 18 percent as the post-quake rebuild continues to wind down, but still at a historically high level) Waikato – 3,596 new homes (up 1.7 percent) Bay of Plenty – 2,596 new homes (up 4.8 percent).
Note: We have improved the way we calculate the seasonally adjusted number of new homes consented. We now include an adjustment for the timing of Easter. As a result, the seasonally adjusted increase in the number of new homes consented in August 2017 has been revised down from 10 percent to 5.9 percent. For more information, see Building consents issued seasonal adjustment and trend changes in September 2017 on DataInfo+.
| A SyaysNZ release || October 31, 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