The launch next week of the New Zealand Artificial Intelligence (AI) Forum is a strong sign Kiwi tech companies are keen to not just get onboard the burgeoning AI industry, they want to lead from the front, Forum chair Stu Christie says.
Dozens of New Zealand’s leading tech companies are joining the forum which has been initiated by NZTech. The launch in Wellington on June 7 will be attended by politicians, government agencies, big tech companies and major national tech groups.
Christie says the landmark tech manifesto presented to parliamentarian last week confirms just how intent NZTech, InternetNZ, IT Professionals and many other umbrella tech groups are determined to position New Zealand as the leading AI country in the southern hemisphere.
“This launch of this forum and its ongoing work, with support from government and key organisations, is pivotal to New Zealand tech really taking off. We appeal to all businesses and organisations to actively touch base with us so that collectively we can address this one-off opportunity.
“We are seeing so much AI appearing and changing our lives, we are committed to this coordinated approach. We’ll see big changes in our every day activities this year and the next few years that many people cannot comprehend.
“We’ll see traffic lights fitted with artificial intelligence which could spell the end of rush hour queues in our cities.
“The link between fashion retail and technology is growing with the rampant rise of online shopping and the use of AI technology, which is transforming the way people shop.
“In Britain, national health service (NHS) patients will be assessed by robots under a controversial 111 scheme to use artificial intelligence to ease pressures on accident and emergency units.
“More than one million people will be given access to a free app which means they can consult with a chatbot instead of a real person.
“Hospitals across Britain are struggling to cope with unprecedented demand, which has left thousands of casualty patients waiting on trolleys.
“The Bank of England has paired up with artificial intelligence and blockchain specialists in a bid to keep up to date with the fast-growing financial technology sector.
“In New Zealand we have companies like Soul Machine, Xero, Talania, TouchtecRe: High pressure spray unithlabs, Orion Health and Air New Zealand leading the way.
“The speedy birth of AI in New Zealand is happening right across the country. To see artificial intelligence unfold in Canterbury, for example, they have a meet up site to discuss developments. It’s great.
“Activity and capability in New Zealand is really gathering momentum on all fronts as the country begins to apply AI and machine learning to technology exports.”
He says the future impacts on the economy and society will be significant, dramatic and disruptive.
| A MakeLemonade release || June 1, 2017 |||
Resene has recycled over three million paint containers and found innovative uses for leftover paint, with its PaintWise scheme, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today at Resene’s factory in Lower Hutt.
“Often consumers buy more paint than they need for a project and the leftover paint is stored in sheds and cupboards, or is taken to the local landfill for disposal. Resene PaintWise provides New Zealanders with an environmentally responsible way of disposing of their waste paint,” Mr Simpson says.
Resene PaintWise accepts all brands of paint and paint containers and finds alternative uses for them. These include recycling paint in concrete manufacture, recycling paint containers, donating good quality paint to community group projects and using waste paint to cover graffiti. Over 250,000 litres has been donated to communities to cover graffiti which equals over two million square metres of graffiti to be covered with the help of the scheme so far.
“It’s great to see New Zealand business taking up the challenge of reducing their products’ environmental impacts. Resene PaintWise was the first whole-life-cycle paint recycling programme in the world.”
“Resene is an excellent example of an organisation taking responsibility for waste in its industry. I encourage other organisations and industries to get accredited so they too can receive the economic and environmental benefits of product stewardship.”
“Under the Waste Minimisation Act, I can accredit product stewardship schemes that meet the criteria for reducing waste and environmental harm. A product stewardship scheme will only be accredited after it has been thoroughly assessed to ensure accreditation criteria have been met. In turn, accredited schemes have to report annually me on their objectives and targets.”
For more information about product stewardship see http://www.mfe.govt.nz/waste/product-stewardship
For more information about Resene PaintWise and where to recycle paint and paint containers see http://www.resene.co.nz/paintwise.php
After a massive explosion of algae growth in China’s Lake Taihu a decade ago left more than two million people in the area temporarily without safe drinking water, the government started spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to try to solve the algae problem. One part of the solution: working with a company that harvests algae from the lake before it grows out of control, and turns it into a flexible, rubbery material that is now being made into shoes.
Vivobarefoot’s water-resistant Ultra III shoes are usually made from a petroleum-based version of the same material, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). But a version that will launch in July is made from a blend of algae and EVA, instead. To get enough algae to make one pair means cleaning 57 gallons of water, which are then returned to the lake.
Continue to the full article by Adele Peters in Fast Company | May 30, 2017 |||
In his most recent book, Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis? Steve Keen leaves readers in little doubt he believes we're heading that way unless we adopt a fundamentally different approach to private debt. Australian Steve Keen was one of only a handful of economists to predict the Global Financial Crisis.
He says it’s all about debt – specifically private debt.
“We’re focussing on the wrong topic. We’re so focussed on government debt, what actually caused the crisis was run away private debt.”
And he says there are a number of ‘debt zombies’ in the world economy - New Zealand among them.
He calls New Zealand ‘Schrodinger’s Zombie’.
The walking dead have already had a financial crisis, he says, and have been experiencing weak growth, while 'zombie-to-be' countries avoided the 2008/2009 crisis by borrowing their way through it.
Now they have a bigger debt burden to deal with when the next crisis hits, he says.
“New Zealand sits in both camps. It had 190 percent of debt to GDP back in 2009, it bottomed out at about 170 percent then went back up to 180 percent of GDP. Most of that’s in the household sector so that’s driven the housing bubble in New Zealand, which of course the authorities normally deny, but it’s clearly there although in my opinion starting to turn right now.
“So you guys have had two bites of the zombie cherry.”
He says there is no doubt the bubble will burst.
“The bubble will burst in the next one to two years - there’s been a real acceleration in house prices since 2012, they’ve increased by about 60 percent. But what I’m seeing now is the motivating force for rising house prices is rising mortgage credit. The wind in that bubble is starting to run out.”
Read More >>Steve Keen: The coming crash (from Radio New Zealand's Sunday Morning programm
Chris Jefferies reports in Boat International that the 24.38 metre maxi racing yacht Lion New Zealand has checked into Yachting Developments for an extensive winter overhaul. The works, which began on May 15 with her haul-out, are described as a “top-to-bottom refit”.
Designed by Ron Holland and launched in 1985 for Sir Peter Blake, Lion New Zealand raced in the 1985/86 Whitbread Round The World Race. She was purchased in 2008 by the NZ Sailing Trust, which uses her to provide sailing experiences for young New Zealanders.
In the past nine years, Lion New Zealand has covered more than 200,000 nautical miles, welcoming thousands of guests on board along the way, and the trust explains that she is in need of a much-deserved refit.
Read the full article on Boat International || May 31, 2017 |||
According to the Australian Business Traveller, the airline’s own-brand credit card will be a new Platinum-grade MasterCard, and will display the Qantas brand alone.
ABT reported that 35 per cent of all credit card spending in Australia is already happening through co-branded Qantas credit cards, in partnership with banks, American Express, and retailers like David Jones and Woolies.
Now, with Qantas not co-branding with any other company, Qantas is likely to steal a bigger slice of the profits.
It comes as Virgin Australia’s own Velocity program conducted research that found that Australian credit card use is motivated by loyalty rewards, with more than two thirds of respondents saying they will make a decision to buy an item based on whether they will receive points.
It also found that the most appealing loyalty rewards for Australians are frequent flyer points and store vouchers.
The credit card launch coincides with Qantas’ 30th anniversary of its frequent flyer program, which now boasts almost 12 million members down under.
So why should we care? Well, a few extra frequent flyer perks could be in store for Qantas members, with ABT reporting the airline has hinted at higher earning rates for its members, “exclusive travel benefits” like airfare deals and lounge access, and something Qantas is calling “uncapped earning potential”.
| A Travel Weekly release || May 31, 2017 |||
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has today handed over four amphibious boats to the Fiji National Disaster Management Office at a ceremony in Suva.
“New Zealand and Fiji have agreed to trial the Sealegs boats in emergency response situations and natural disasters,” Mr Brownlee says.
“Amphibious boats do not require infrastructure to launch, which means the emergency responders will be able to get the vessels in the water more quickly and operate more effectively in flooded urban environments.
“Fiji’s emergency responders will use the vessels to reach stranded people, as well as to get support and supplies to people who have been cut off by flooding or other natural disasters.
“The $1.2 million, two-year trial will see four vessels provided to the Fiji authorities along with other emergency equipment, and a training and maintenance programme.
“The Sealegs boats will complement Fiji’s excellent emergency response systems and boost their disaster response capacity.
“This trial is a partnership between the governments of New Zealand and Fiji, to test innovative technology that will ultimately help save lives and deliver humanitarian assistance when disaster strikes,” Mr Brownlee says.
Mr Brownlee is currently in Suva for his first official visit to Fiji as Foreign Affairs Minister.
| A release from the Beehive || May 31, 2017 |||
Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the announcement that United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit New Zealand next week.
Secretary Tillerson will meet with Prime Minister Bill English and Minister Brownlee in Wellington on June 6.
“New Zealand and the United States enjoy a long-standing friendship,” Mr Brownlee says.
“We share a deep interest in maintaining peace, prosperity and stability in the Asia Pacific region and we have worked closely together to counter terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States is our third-largest individual trading partner.
“We welcome Secretary Tillerson’s visit as a chance to strengthen the close relationship between New Zealand and the United States, to discuss some of the world’s most pressing issues, and to further promote our economic ties,” Mr Brownlee says.
| A release from the Beehive || May 31, 2017 |||
New Zealand’s Most Famous Tabloid Editor Said it Does not Exist in the First Place
New Zealand’s last tough-talking Front Page era editor, the late Frank Haden, declared that the press in any official court room or other such tribunal would always emerge much the worse for the experience.
Therefore he stated the press should take every precaution against appearing before such a body for any kind of judgement at all.
The reason for avoiding court rooms and the like he stated was that “the public hates the press.”
This meant in practical terms that those seeking to represent the general public in any deliberations involving the press either separately or collectively would inevitably grasp their opportunity to “savage” the press.
Therefore he stated the press should always avoid, somehow, all such appearances, because it was simply not going to win. It could only come out of the encounter much the worse for it.
The press, insisted Haden, was reluctant to accept the loathing in which it was held and thus found itself before juries and other such panels in the fond and misguided belief that it’s clams would fall on receptive ears.
Instead, the crusty Haden insisted, the officially constituted panel would simply become a lightening rod through which the public hatred of the press would be transmitted.
It is hard not to consider the likelihood that the Haden dictum figured in the twice-declared no by the Commerce Commission to the nation’s two predominant newspaper chains ardently seeking permission to merge.
It is hard too not to entertain the notion that the Commission had no sympathy either for the individuals before them who were advocating the merger.
The two-act episode was a startling re-affirmation of Haden’s Law.
It holds that the press and those who work in it in any appearance before any group formed to represent the common weal, the considered opinion on the public benefit, will simply act as a conductor for the public antipathy to it.
The second part of Haden’s Law can be stated by saying that the only avenue open to the press in this entire matter is to do its utmost to avoid any exposure at all to these constituted courts of public opinion.
Haden’s views were expounded many years ago and were widely heeded at the time if only because of the distressing experience of the industry’s libel lawyers in a string of fixtures.
Since this raffish era and with the disappearance notably of Truth the tabloid tyranny largely subsided.
The institutionalisation of the press through the mandatory university induction process ensured a commonality of voguish opinion and thus stated views.
The era of politesse thus became well established. Gone are the Woodbine-smoking renegades who once inhabited Vulcan Lane and Cuba Street.
In their place are corporate employees nurturing their careers and sharing a similar liberal outlook. They are about as threatening to societal values as the Vienna Boys Choir.
The most interesting element in their newspapers is now the surreal debate over who owns them, and how.
The newspapers management, no longer now “bosses,” have the appearance of well-intentioned pillars of society, doing their best.
But who have been publicly slapped in the face, twice, for subverting society.
SO how did Haden’s Law propounded so long ago, and in an era in which the tabloids were often villainous, now so evidently, re-emerge like a bolt, two bolts, of lightening from the heavens?
Because the two chains in seeking to please everyone, pleased nobody.
The more they sought to personify diversity in all its forms the more constricted they appeared. Their quest for plurality led them to losing their singularity.
In Frank Haden’s era the unbridled cheek of the press meant it was feared and loathed with a sprinkling of respect.
Haden himself was the last practitioner to have worked for all of Australasia’s dynastic publishers – the Fairfax, Packer, and Murdoch families
Today, the corporatist harmonised fashionable wisdom-friendly version has instead inspired an attitude of low-resonating indifference of the type that in turn has inspired two Commerce Commission verdicts in its disfavour .
Even given their joint tendency to treat the world as if it had started this morning, the two chains who are said to be contemplating a return and third match, this time with an appeals court should now heed Frank Haden’s Law.
Stay away from these types of convocations be they judicial or quasi judicial.
| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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