Trade Minister Todd McClay travels from London to Chile today for the first combined meeting of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries following the United States’ withdrawal from the agreement.
“I welcome the opportunity to sit down with other TPP ministers, to take stock of current developments and to look at how we might move this important agreement forward together,” Mr McClay says.
Mr McClay says he believed the TPP Agreement continued to offer value as a common set of rules across the Asia-Pacific region.
"I have recently visited Australia, Japan, Singapore and Mexico, met with ministers from Brunei and Malaysia and talked directly with trade ministers from all other TPP countries. It is clear our partners remain committed to the benefits high quality trade agreements provide," Mr McClay says.
The meeting comes following strong public encouragement from New Zealand’s largest exporters for the Government to pursue a deal with the other 10 countries.
While in Viña del Mar at the High Level Dialogue on Integration Initiatives for the Asia-Pacific, Mr McClay will also meet with members of the Pacific Alliance and a number of other Asia-Pacific countries discuss regional trade issues.
“High quality regional trade deals are key drivers of economic development and job growth. The Government will continue to fight for a fairer deal for kiwi exporters and to push for better access for our goods and services around the world,” Mr McClay says.
| A Beehive release | March 12, 2017 ||
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Trade Minister travels to Chile From London for TPP meeting
2017’s already been identified by Vodafone as the year of data explosion, with Kiwis using more and more of it to stay up to date.
But it’s not just being chewed up by the binge-watching habits that online-only series like Netflix’s Stranger Things brings about.
Kiwis are still just as interested in what’s happening around them, and the video and stories giving insight into their changing world.
In fact, hyper levels of mobility in how we consume news - and how often we expect updates, appears to have increased the appetites of everyday readers
That’s all part of why Vodafone New Zealand is launching its own news website, offering a behind the scenes look into the work the company’s involved in, its people, and the latest trends in technology, industry and community developments.
Chief Executive Russell Stanners said, “Ever increasing levels of connectivity create an expectation that we need to share what’s going on, and we want to get the latest stories, in many instances, direct from those at the centre of what’s happening”.
“At the same time this truly is the age of the customer – they’re digitally savvy, empowered by the technology – and they want to understand who they’re dealing with, at a deeper level,” he added.
Vodafone News will feature behind the scenes video of important developments, offer advice and readable features across a range of topics for consumers as well as insights from leaders in a range of diverse fields.
Russell Stanners said, “At Vodafone we’re at the forefront of innovation, and Kiwis want to know what we think about topics that are important to them.
“We want to get our story out, we’re proud of what our people are achieving, and so much is set to change in technology trends this year, we want to make sure people can make sense of it all,” he added.
People are consuming news and information constantly these days through a range of mediums, and the days of only reading news from just one or two websites has rapidly declined.
Instead, as the recent U.S election illustrated, consumers will browse a wide range of sources – whether that’s hard copy, online or through social media, to read more about what they’re interested in.
Andrea Brady, Vodafone’s Head of External Communications, believes this shift in media consumption habits, opens the door for customers to experience major projects from the inside.
“There are times when Vodafone is hard at work in areas that you might not expect. A good example is our Instant Network team. They’re our first response team who go into emergencies, when everyone else is fleeing them,” she said.
The team deployed a year ago this month when Fiji declared a state of natural disaster in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Winston, with a series of suitcases and a mobile generator to successfully establish a local communications network.
“They were the first emergency relief to reach Vanua Balavu that had been devastated by the cyclone. Communications were quickly established enabling the village to reach out for medical evacuation for those in need, and so that people could let relieved family members know they were still alive,” Andrea said.
Behind the scenes video on Vodafone News paints the picture of how the Instant Network team works, and the powerful impact it can have on communities’ desperately in need.
“There are countless examples of innovation taking place every day in communities and businesses around the country. We’re keen to make sure those get the attention they deserve,” Andrea added.The advent of new news – a conversation with customers
| A Vodafone release | March 13, 2017 ||
Prev Article
ave you ever drifted off on a plane, woken up a little later, and found yourself wondering where exactly you are – only to check your seatback television screen and decide that you are none the wiser?
Airline route maps – particularly the electronic ones which are part of passengers’ in-flight entertainment systems – can often appear to show a world of their own creation. They pick out cities you have never heard of, towns where aircraft rarely land and destinations which you would not seek out – even if you were travelling on the ground.
But a bigger question might be – what do these maps fail to show? And why are certain places omitted?
Sometimes, destinations drop out of focus for simple reasons of logistics. Back in 2009, there was a brief and polite furore in New Zealand after three cities – Hamilton on the North Island; Dunedin and Queenstown on the South Island – were left off Air New Zealand’s route maps, even though the airline flew to all three.
A spokesman quickly blamed “space restriction”, and pointed out that two Australian cities – Cairns and Coolangatta – were also missing for the same reason.
But what of omissions with more thorny causes?
> > > Continue to the full and original article on The Telegraph Travel News | March 9, 2017 ||
The government’s Resource Legislation Amendment Bill (RLA) threatens changes to environmental legislation. The manipulations by Nick Smith pave the way for destruction of New Zealand’s economic advantage and further loss of valuable habitat.
The RLA Bill’s aims are ambiguous but fundamentally change the ground rules to leave councils subject to Ministerial interference. The democratic process of consultation and civil society engagement will become vulnerable to the whim of the Minister. There was no cross party support for the Bill. Recently the Maori Party changed its position, but is now reconsidering it's backing.
The threat to New Zealand's environmental legislation is a two-pronged attack. The proposed National Environment Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) is in its final stages [4], if adopted will also remove the right of councils to apply land use precautions on GE trees. Environmental harm caused by release of Genetically Engineered Organisms and costs associated with economic loss will also be forced onto regions, despite the communities wanting to preserve GM-free production.
"New Zealand businesses that are successfully exporting to the world are at risk from powers that will allow the Minister of the day to remove precautions around GMOs," said Jon Carapiet, national spokesman for GE-Free NZ.
"Moves to override regional controls on GMOs in agricultural production would be tantamount to self-sabotage of the national brand and destroy any hope of reaching the government's stated economic goal of doubling exports."
The proposed RLA legislation, section 43A(3)(b), signals a power grab by the Minister as the government would not need to demonstrate that the permitted activity has a significant adverse effect on the environment, undermining the very purpose of the Resource Management Act as well as the Hazardous substances and New Organisms Act. The purpose and principles of the Acts, which require scientific research, community consultation, and a precautionary approach on land use activities, would be immediately nullified.
“It is absurd for central government to be absolving itself of its duty of care to demonstrate the safety of GMO’s, yet simultaneously forbidding regional government to apply policies and measures that protect communities and regional economic development for the long term," said Claire Bleakley, president of GE-Free NZ.
"Nick Smith is effectively setting up a system that will enable destruction of the environment and sabotage the interests of people and communities.”
| A GE-Free NZ release | March 9, 2017 ||
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Construction is underway on Sealord's new $70 million factory vessel, which is being built in Norway with additional steel work carried out in Poland.
Sealord is now a year out from taking delivery of its state of the art new factory vessel.
Work began on the $70 million project in January and, according to Sealord fleet harvest manager Scott Gillanders, is already running ahead of schedule.
The ship's hull was being built in eight blocks, with seven of these constructed in Poland before being barged to the Simek shipbuilders yard in Flekkefjord, Norway.A concept drawing of Sealord's new $70 million trawler.
The first four blocks will arrive in July, with the remaining four blocks expected in September before being fitted to the ship's superstructure.
Testing will start on engine and factory components in February 2018.
Two project managers – based in New Zealand and Europe respectively – would observe the build in the months ahead.
A Sealord contingent will be in Norway for sea trials in March to determine whether the company was ready to take delivery on March 23.
> > > Continue to full article | March 10, 2017 ||
A major investment is taking shape to improve facilities at a North Shields factory and safeguard hundreds of jobs.
Fletcher Building is planning to invest tens of millions of pounds over the next three years in Formica Group’s North Shields factory and office.
Formica Group, which employs more than 300 people, produces thousands of different laminate sheets for doors in businesses, schools and hospitals around Europe.
Mark Adamson, CEO of Fletcher Building, was at the factory in Norham Road to see the progress on work bringing all staff back under one roof at the site.
Office space is currently being refurbished to bring sales staff and management from nearby Cobalt Park back onto the North Shields plant.
Speaking to the News Guardian, Mark said: “The investment will be spent in new technology and upgrading facilities.
“The problem with North Shields is that while people were spending money in North America and Asia, this business didn’t get its fair share of capital.
> > > Continue to read full article | March 9, 2017 ||
Trade Minister Todd McClay met International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox and Minister for Trade Policy Lord Price today to reaffirm their joint commitment to global trade liberalisation, and lay the foundations for the future trade relationship between the UK and New Zealand.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox asserted the importance the UK places on its trading relationship with New Zealand, with total trade in goods and services between the two countries increasing by 13 per cent between 2014-15.
The ministers welcomed progress made during the inaugural Trade Policy Dialogue meeting earlier this month.
“Our dialogue will enable us to build on our existing trading framework, towards an agreement in the future,” Mr McClay says.
“Through the dialogue we will continue to push for greater global trade liberalisation and reform, share expertise, and identify ways to strengthen our trading relationship.”
Minister McClay also welcomed the UK’s ongoing commitment to be a champion of global free trade. Secretary Fox confirmed his intention to visit New Zealand in the coming months.
“During that visit we will hold a joint public event to highlight the importance and benefits of open markets to our citizens at a time when the global economy is facing a period of uncertainty”, Mr McClay says.
The Secretary of State confirmed that the UK would remain fully supportive of the New Zealand-EU FTA as long as it remained a member of the European Union, and that he was very pleased that the scoping phase had been finalised.
| A Beehive release | March 10, 2017 ||
Quai D’Orsay and Lambton Quay share a nightmare
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade must now begin the difficult and counter-ideological process of accepting that Marine Le Pen’s National Front Party might win the pending Presidential Election in France.
The reason is that Miss Le Pen has pledged to extricate France from both the EU and also the eurocurrency.
Miss Le Pen (pictured) and her party according to the polls is now the front runner to take over the Presidency and thus the government of France.
The former Prime Minister Francois Fillon has dropped in the polls following revelations that the leader of the Republican (i.e. Conservative) Party had while serving President Sarkozy put most of his family on the parliamentary payroll for performing duties that still remain unclear.
The second-line Republican Party candidate Alain Juppe has ruled himself out from succeeding the beleaguered Mr Fillon, partly because Mr Juppe, also a former premier, had also been mixed up in what the French describe as “fictitious employees.”
This leaves Miss Le Pen, followed by Emmanuel Macron the youthful former economics minister under President Francois Hollande.
Mr Macron in exiting the government of President Hollande did not wait to become adopted by an existing party. He simply formed his own France En Marche—France on the Move.
The Socialist Party led by Mr Hollande is simply not in the running, and does not feature in any of the polls as a realistic winner.
All this is bad news of course on Quay D’ Orsay and equally on Lambton Quay. On the quays the fervent hope was that while Miss Le Pen’s National Front might win the first round in the election, the once solid-seeming Mr Fillon would wash her away in the second round.
If the current polls hold water also washed away will be two years worth of negotiations in formal support of the EU-New Zealand trade liberalisation agreement.
Also swept aside will be the European Commission’s mandate to put the trade deal into action.
The reason is that France’s departure from the EU, and it is likely to be abrupt if Miss Le Pen takes charge, will invalidate the central axis of the union which is the German-French one.
France is the link between the Nordic/ Teutonic zone and the Mediterranean member countries.
It is uncertain if New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has charted a contingency plan in the now likely chance that Miss Le Pen and her party will emerge victorious from the imminent general election in France.
But given last year’s upsets in the US and the UK a suitable such contingency scheme would be to have ready a shrink-wrapped substitute deal with the EU’s northern nations.
The victory of President Donald Trump in the United States indicated that the New Zealand apparatus did not lay any groundwork, notably alternatives, for an event that it most ardently hoped would not in fact happen.
To an only slightly less extent the Brexit development is a similar indicator in an antipodean belief in the status quo.
| From the MSCMewsWire reporters' desk | Thursday 9 March 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