LEADING European farm machinery manufacturer, CLAAS, who are represented throughout New Zealand is significantly increasing its research and development capacities with the construction of a new test centre at the company’s headquarters in Harsewinkel, Germany.
Due to open early next year, the €15 million facility will merge several test laboratories at the site into a single, state-of-the-art complex.
The new complex will boast 8,000 square metres of floor space – the equivalent of about 40 full-size tennis courts – and more than 200 individual workstations and laboratories.
The centre will enable CLAAS to test the performance and reliability of components for its high-performance combine harvesters, forage harvesters and tractors under a wide range of operating and climatic conditions.
It incorporates a number of energy-saving innovations, including the use of 300 kilowatt electric drive units to test transmission components instead of diesel engines.
A heat recovery process will eliminate the need for a conventional heating system during winter, while a water system with heat exchangers fitted to the underfloor radiators will provide cooling in summer.
| A Claas release || May 10, 2017 |||
Statement by Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler:
The Reserve Bank today left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 1.75 percent.
Global economic growth has increased and become more broad-based over recent months. However, major challenges remain with on-going surplus capacity and extensive political uncertainty.
Stronger global demand has helped to raise commodity prices over the past year, which has led to some increase in headline inflation across New Zealand’s trading partners. However, the level of core inflation has generally remained low. Monetary policy is expected to remain stimulatory in the advanced economies, but less so going forward.
The trade-weighted exchange rate has fallen by around 5 percent since February, partly in response to global developments and reduced interest rate differentials. This is encouraging and, if sustained, will help to rebalance the growth outlook towards the tradables sector.
GDP growth in the second half of 2016 was weaker than expected. Nevertheless, the growth outlook remains positive, supported by on-going accommodative monetary policy, strong population growth, and high levels of household spending and construction activity.
House price inflation has moderated further, especially in Auckland. The slowing in house price inflation partly reflects loan-to-value ratio restrictions and tighter lending conditions. This moderation is projected to continue, although there is a risk of resurgence given the continuing imbalance between supply and demand.
The increase in headline inflation in the March quarter was mainly due to higher tradables inflation, particularly petrol and food prices. These effects are temporary and may lead to some variability in headline inflation over the year ahead. Non-tradables and wage inflation remain moderate but are expected to increase gradually. This will bring future headline inflation to the midpoint of the target band over the medium term. Longer-term inflation expectations remain well-anchored at around 2 percent.
Developments since the February Monetary Policy Statement on balance are considered to be neutral for the stance of monetary policy.
Monetary policy will remain accommodative for a considerable period. Numerous uncertainties remain and policy may need to adjust accordingly.
Read the Monetary Policy Statement: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/monetary-policy-statement
Watch the Monetary Policy Statement press conference live-stream at NZT 10am: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-publications/webcasts
| A RBNZ release || May 11, 2017 |||
Wellington has become the destination of choice for smart, agile and creative students from around the world. New Zealand’s ‘coolest little capital’ is a haven for students seeking an authentic Kiwi experience, great employment prospects and a great lifestyle.
The city is small enough to encompass the warm hospitality New Zealand is well-known for, but also embodies a vibrant, energetic city feel with plenty of events, activities and opportunities. And now more and more international students are landing their dream jobs in Wellington after coming there to study.
Top jobs
Wellington boasts the highest average salaries of all New Zealand cities, plus the most educated workforce in the country and moderate living costs. Students who move to Wellington often find the career prospects so good that they never want to leave. The region’s institutions and universities work closely with the city’s network of businesses across science, technology, government and manufacturing to place students in graduate and intern roles.
Plus, Wellington’s business community is keen to help non-native students into careers through the Work Ready in Wellington Programme. This free series covers New Zealand work culture, communication, interviews and job hunting. The course is taught by local business experts and mentors, so students are in safe hands.
Creative tech
Saurabh Singh had a checklist of criteria when he decided to study outside of India – he was looking for a place that had great opportunities for employment after study, was affordable, multicultural, safe and close to nature. He was awarded a scholarship to Victoria University of Wellington to study a Masters of Engineering.
Saurabh says the research facilities and faculty support he was offered at Victoria University was ‘overwhelming’, and something he had never experienced before. Upon completion of his studies, he applied for a role at mobile game development company PikPok – creators of Flick Kick, Into the Dead and Rival Stars Football – where he still works as a game analytics developer. In his job, Saurabh writes code to analyse huge amounts of data to help the organisation optimise and improve the sales of their games.
Francisco Lora found out about Wellington from a talk given about studying in New Zealand in his home country of Colombia. After learning about each New Zealand city, he decided on Wellington, and moved here to study his Masters of Design at Massey University – one of the best universities for graphic design.
Francisco, who now works as a designer at Wellington-based Platinum Health & Safety, found studying a “wonderful experience”, thanks to the teaching quality and support of his supervisors.
Finance hub
Sabrina Cao, originally from Northern China, moved to Wellington after researching global study destinations. After seeing “lots and lots of photos of this beautiful country”, and finding out about the region’s stunning natural environment, and open-minded attitude, Sabrina found out that Victoria University of Wellington offered her preferred accounting programme – a Master of Professional Accounting.
Sabrina felt that Victoria University provided “lots of help and assistance to international students, both academically and non-academically”. After finishing her Masters, within two months she had bagged herself a role with leading energy provider Todd Energy. Her work as a tax accountant sees her working across complex business structures to ensure compliance with New Zealand legislation.
Hassan Almitib moved to Wellington from Saudi Arabia, to study network engineering and computer science at Victoria University. He says the course was highly specialised and very professional.
In his third year of study, Hassan joined Summer of Tech – the premier IT internship programme for New Zealand graduates and students. Hassan secured a coveted summer internship with cutting-edge, online accounting software company Xero one of New Zealand’s most exciting companies.
His role in Xero’s graduate programme saw him in four rotations, each focusing on a different area from infrastructure engineering to backend development. This helped Hassan hone in on what he wanted to pursue, and he now holds a permanent role at the company as a site reliability engineer.
Vandana Abhiruchi, from Bihar in Northern India, moved to Wellington to study a Postgraduate Diploma in IT at Whitireia. Vandana was offered a job at leading wealth management platform FNZ as soon as she finished studying, and says the help and support she received from Whitireia’s teachers and faculty was invaluable.
Friendly people
Vandana says Wellington’s welcoming locals helped ease her transition and she always felt welcomed and accepted in the region. Sabrina agrees, suggesting any students new to Wellington embrace this friendly way of life to help them break through cultural barriers.
Work-life balance
Wellington was recently named the world’s most liveable city by Deutsche Bank, and was the most affordable Australasian city in Mercer’s 2016 survey, which means students who choose to study here get to enjoy their leisure time on top of receiving a top-quality education.
Sabrina takes advantage of the 363km of walking and mountain biking trails close to the city by tramping – the Kiwi word for ‘hiking’ – on weekends. She also likes to swim at the city’s many beaches and swimming pools after work. She says, “the space, freedom and work-life balance I enjoy in Wellington is amazing”, especially when compared to Tianjin, the big city she comes from in China.
Hassan also appreciates Wellington’s beautiful natural environment, playing sports and exploring walking tracks around the region. He loves the city’s cafes and restaurants, which are all heavily influenced by its multicultural communities.
Sabrina says studying in Wellington has been the best experience of her life so far, presenting her with opportunities she never would have imagined. Moving to Wellington was “a life-changing experience”, and she encourages other international students to consider making the same move.
And Hassan’s advice for those considering studying in Wellington? “Do it.” Read the article with it's images and links here
World’s first fully automatic fusion splicer provides great ROI for customers and an increased productivity via reduced splice cycles
Chessington, UK. 10 May 2017: Fujikura Europe’s 70S is still considered the highest quality product of its kind. As the world’s first fully automatic fusion splicer, the 70S provides great ROI for customers and an increased productivity via reduced splice cycles.
Not only is the 70S the most ergonomic, fastest and durable technology of its kind, but its longevity has proved it is “built to last”, meaning that customers could still be using the same 70S they purchase today more than ten years from now.
It only requires four operational steps per splice and reduces splicing time to just six seconds. The 70S is also the only machine to withstand drop testing on all six sides from a height of 70cm.
“As more and more of our competitors begin to claim that their technology matches ours, the more testing we have do
Chessington, UK. 10 May 2017: Fujikura Europe’s 70S is still considered the highest quality product of its kind. As the world’s first fully automatic fusion splicer, the 70S provides great ROI for customers and an increased productivity via reduced splice cycles.
Not only is the 70S the most ergonomic, fastest and durable technology of its kind, but its longevity has proved it is “built to last”, meaning that customers could still be using the same 70S they purchase today more than ten years from now.
It only requires four operational steps per splice and reduces splicing time to just six seconds. The 70S is also the only machine to withstand drop testing on all six sides from a height of 70cm.
“As more and more of our competitors begin to claim that their technology matches ours, the more testing we have done to prove there isn’t any product that can match the 70S in terms of quality, performance and longevity,” said Neil Bessant at Fujikura Europe. “Creating technology of this calibre requires a specific knowledge and expertise, and we are the original pioneers, with 40 years’ worth of experience in research & development and eight generations of splicing machines to boast.”
The most notable features of the 70S are its true core-alignment performance, user customisable features, and its fully ruggedized exterior, which is dust, shock and rain resistant. The 70S also features an automated wind protector and a tube heater which has been developed for quicker splicing cycles and to reduce the number of operational steps.
“Our 40 years’ experience has allowed us to create a technology that is far superior to anything on the market and to optimise this splicing tool to be reliable and accurate, achieving a high quality splice, which will help minimise the need for “re-work” or repairs/maintenance on any fibre network spliced with a Fujikura splicer,” said Bessant. “Ultimately, this is why you pay more for a Fujikura splicer. You are paying for a product that could last you more than ten years and a product that creates the best splice possible. There really is no comparison.”
With the 70S, Fujikura Europe has streamlined the steps required to complete splices, resulting in greater productivity.
“The 70S only takes six seconds to make a splice and nine seconds to make heat shrink. These, combined with the other automated features, make the product altogether the fastest splicing technology, by 25% no less,” added Bessant.
The 'configurable automation' design of the 70S allows customers to tailor the operation of the machine to best suit their particular splicing technique and process while the programmable 'automatic wind protector' closes and begins the splicing process after clamping the fibres in position or pressing the 'set' button. Once the splice is completed, the wind protector and one of the sheath clamps opens automatically making removal of the fibres fast and easy.
Fujikura’s 70S is fully supported by trained local distributors throughout EU, creating the “Fujikura Experience” and ensuring all customers get more for their money than they could with any other splicer.
To learn more about the 70S and other Fujikura Europe technologies, please visit: http://www.fujikura.co.uk/.
ne to prove there isn’t any product that can match the 70S in terms of quality, performance and longevity,” said Neil Bessant at Fujikura Europe. “Creating technology of this calibre requires a specific knowledge and expertise, and we are the original pioneers, with 40 years’ worth of experience in research & development and eight generations of splicing machines to boast.”
The most notable features of the 70S are its true core-alignment performance, user customisable features, and its fully ruggedized exterior, which is dust, shock and rain resistant. The 70S also features an automated wind protector and a tube heater which has been developed for quicker splicing cycles and to reduce the number of operational steps.
“Our 40 years’ experience has allowed us to create a technology that is far superior to anything on the market and to optimise this splicing tool to be reliable and accurate, achieving a high quality splice, which will help minimise the need for “re-work” or repairs/maintenance on any fibre network spliced with a Fujikura splicer,” said Bessant. “Ultimately, this is why you pay more for a Fujikura splicer. You are paying for a product that could last you more than ten years and a product that creates the best splice possible. There really is no comparison.”
With the 70S, Fujikura Europe has streamlined the steps required to complete splices, resulting in greater productivity.
“The 70S only takes six seconds to make a splice and nine seconds to make heat shrink. These, combined with the other automated features, make the product altogether the fastest splicing technology, by 25% no less,” added Bessant.
The 'configurable automation' design of the 70S allows customers to tailor the operation of the machine to best suit their particular splicing technique and process while the programmable 'automatic wind protector' closes and begins the splicing process after clamping the fibres in position or pressing the 'set' button. Once the splice is completed, the wind protector and one of the sheath clamps opens automatically making removal of the fibres fast and easy.
Fujikura’s 70S is fully supported by trained local distributors throughout EU, creating the “Fujikura Experience” and ensuring all customers get more for their money than they could with any other splicer.
To learn more about the 70S and other Fujikura Europe technologies, please visit: http://www.fujikura.co.uk/.
| A Fujikura relaease || May 10, 2017 |||
John Vosper’s family farm Cleavedale in Matamata went organic in 2003 and two years ago launched the Jersey Girl Organics brand; now the bottled milk is sold North Island-wide and fresh milk is available from two vending machines in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.
The business won the outstanding producer dairy primary award at the recent Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.
Vosper told Dairy News the win affirms “we are on the right track; we are pleased to win award”.
He sees a growing demand for organics in New Zealand.
“Customers are increasingly concerned about where their food is coming from and how it is produced. Organic certification gives them assurance about environmental impacts and the way food is produced.”
Vosper says the farm went organic “as it fitted our farming philosophy and we hoped to increase returns”.
“Our milk is pasteurised to eliminate bugs; it is not homogenised. In the vending machine the milk is kept cold, dark and stirred.
“Jersey Girl milk is audited to strict organic standards. You can be sure the milk is free of antibiotic, herbicide and pesticide residues.”
The farm runs a herd of 250 pedigree Jersey cows, producing about 800,000L; surplus milk is sold to Fonterra.
On the system 2 farm the Jerseys graze on organic pasture, supplemented with hay, silage and maize cut from local paddocks.
A support block was used to graze replacements and produce silage. Vosper says after a series of dry summers the farm started growing maize for silage, giving more options for feed.
“Maize paddocks are planted in permanent pasture consisting of a diverse species mix. After a few years of decreasing pasture production we now have a fertiliser policy of maintaining nutrient levels in the soil and spend above-average amounts on fertiliser.”
The farm calves about 200 cows in spring and 50 in autumn; usually about 55 heifer replacements are reared.
Cows are milked in a 20-bail rotary.
Vosper says animal health is challenging at times as any animal that has a prohibited treatment has to leave the farm. “In future we will be placing more emphasis on animal health traits in sire selection.
“Last October we did four weeks of Jersey semen followed by eight weeks of using short gestation sires. Our empty rate was 10%.”
The Vosper family has been farming on Cleavedale farm for five generations.
Vosper says the family loves organic dairying.
“We love the land we live on and the animals that share it with us; we take pride in producing a top quality milk in a way that honours natural processes.
“Organic production methods require committment and energy. There are no shortcuts, no artificial fertiliser, no production line fast tracking, no modifications.”
| A Dairy News release || May 10, 2017 |||
ABU DHABI - Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has held a telephone conversation with Gerry Brownlee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, congratulating him on his appointment.
During the telephone conversation, Shaikh Abdullah expressed his happiness as New Zealand announced that it joined the list of countries that have signalled their participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. Shaikh Abdullah and Brownlee also discussed joint cooperation relations between the UAE and New Zealand and means of boosting them.
| A Gulf News release || May 09, 2017 |||
Ξ Talley's plan for Motueka factory waste discharge backed by council staff
Ξ NZ tech sector attracts record offshore investment in year to March
Ξ Opportunity to boost Vietnam trade: McClay
Ξ Abdullah Bin Zayed welcomes New Zealand’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai
Ξ Bradley Sawden appointed New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Iraq
New Ambassador to Iraq announced
Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee has today named Bradley Sawden as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Iraq.
New Zealand established an Embassy in Baghdad in 2015 to support New Zealand and Australia’s joint ‘Building Partner Capacity’ mission.
“This mission has trained over 20,000 Iraqi police and army personnel who are on the frontlines of the fight against Daesh,” Mr Brownlee says.
“Mr Sawden will be charged with supporting New Zealand’s non-combat training mission to Iraq and assessing how we can continue to support and build relations with the Iraqi government.
“In addition to leading New Zealand’s engagement with the Iraq government and providing diplomatic support to the training mission, our Embassy will also be responsible for maintaining relations with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq,” Mr Brownlee says.
Mr Sawden has been involved in national and international security issues across the defence and security sector of the New Zealand government.
His most recent posting was in New York as Counsellor at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations during New Zealand’s tenure as a member of the United Nations Security Council.
| A Beehive release || May 09, 2017 |||
The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming this afternoon’s announcement by Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith of an additional $74.6 million in Budget 2017 for Callaghan Innovation’s corporate welfare “Growth Grants”.
“There is nothing scarier than a Government in surplus and a politician's willingness to waste money on corporate welfare," says Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams.
"Instead of delivering tax relief, it appears the Government’s priority is ‘Goldsmith Grants’ and more Callaghan corporate welfare.”
"Rather than hire an army of bureaucrats to pick winners with R&D grants, the Government should scrap its $1.36 billion dollar corporate welfare regime and use that money to cut company tax from 28 to 22.5 percent. That way, the many businesses, and not the few, could afford to get ahead."
Jim Rose's most recent report on corporate welfare, Welfare Bums: Adding up the cost of corporate welfare in the 2016 Budget is available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/welfare_bums.
Key facts on corporate welfare (based on Budget 2016 figures):
| A Taxpayers Union release || May 10, 2017
Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith have launched a new edition of an investment guide into New Zealand’s fast growing technology sector.
The Investor Guide to the New Zealand Technology Sector showcases the breadth and variety of technology companies in New Zealand.
“The tech sector is New Zealand’s third largest exporting sector, contributing $16 billion to GDP and it is growing fast,” says Mr Bridges. “It presents multiple opportunities for New Zealand and international investors.
“New Zealand technology is gaining recognition internationally along with our innovative and can-do culture, and the fact that we are ranked first in the world for ease of doing business by the World Bank Group is a huge drawcard for investors.
“High profile successes like Vend, Xero, Fisher and Paykel Healthcare and Vista Group are leading the way. But, a growing number of early stage companies like Soul Machines and 8i, are attracting significant international attention for their cutting edge technologies in artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
“One of the top priorities of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda is to ensure that these businesses are supported and enabled to grow and compete with the world’s leading technology innovators,” says Mr Bridges.
The Government is also planning to meet the needs of this growing sector through investment in innovation, and building the skills needed in the sector.
“The Government is working hard to develop New Zealand as a hub for high-value, research and development intensive businesses,” says Mr Goldsmith.
“The recent 29 per cent increase in businesses investment in research and development reported by Statistics New Zealand is largely driven by technology businesses, and shows that our efforts are delivering results”.
“To support this growth we’re developing pathways for young New Zealanders to enter the tech sector. This includes the TechHub in Schools, and FutureInTech initiatives which aim to engage young people and get them interested in a career in tech,” says Mr Goldsmith.
“Alongside these skills and employment initiatives the Digital Technology Skills Forum, is bringing together industry associations with government agencies to identify opportunities to develop the skills that the sector will need in order to continue its rapid growth,” says Mr Bridges. “It’s a sign of a sector that is in good health, and planning to meet its future needs.”
The Investor Guide is produced by the Technology Investment Network (TIN) in collaboration with the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE). It is freely available online.
A copy of the guide is available at http://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/whats-happening/news/2016/new-guide-to-drive-investment-in-tech-sector.
| A Beehive release || May 09, 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