Tradestaff is celebrating the success of the Canterbury Trade Pilot Initiative Programme. Twenty-one graduates were recently awarded the certificate in New Zealand Level 4 Carpentry.
As part of a PACER Plus initiative Tradestaff partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on the pilot scheme. PACER Plus is a trade and economic integration agreement between New Zealand and Pacific Island Governments that aims to create jobs, raise standards of living and encourage sustainable economic growth in the Pacific region.
The pilot project was designed to provide an opportunity for up to 24 skilled carpenters from the Pacific Islands to fill job shortages in the Christchurch rebuild.
Kevin Eder, Managing Director of Tradestaff, says the pilot project was a great success.
"This programme has been a win-win for all stakeholders. Tradestaff was able to ensure our Pasifika pilot workers remained in consistent work throughout the programme. Many of them were personally requested by our clients as they have become recognised as hard workers with great skills.
"Pacific nations are at regular risk of severe cyclones that cause widespread damage. With the support of their governments, we expect the graduates to return home with greater experience and skills from their time with us. We were able to expose them to a wide variety of work environments, providing learning experiences across construction techniques they would not otherwise had the chance to encounter."
Tradestaff ensured the recruits were taken through a specifically tailored induction programme. This covered everything from health and safety practices and expectations, site safe training, kiwi building jargon, and familiarisation with what to expect on a large commercial construction site. With support from ARA Institute of Canterbury the recruits were provided with onsite training and skills assessment throughout the pilot programme, culminating in them being awarded the certificate in New Zealand Level 4 Carpentry.
"We are confident the outcomes that we have achieved are in line with the spirit of the PACER Plus agreement and will raise the standard of living for those involved and encourage sustainable economic development for the Pacific nations included," Eder says.
Tradestaff was recently recognised for their work with the Pasifika migrant workers. It received the Award for Excellence in Candidate Care at the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) New Zealand Industry Awards.
Labour mobility schemes
The 2007-10 Gibson & McKenzie report on Vanuatu and Tonga found the following for countries involved in a labour mobility scheme:
The following applies to the receiving countries:
It is predicted that within three years 100 percent of all effective IoT efforts will be supported by cognitive or artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, a landmark New Zealand IoT Alliance study says. For an IoT deployment to be really effective, New Zealand organisations need applications such as machine learning and cognitive systems to obtain insight and action from data, the report says. The 92-page report was commissioned by the New Zealand IoT Alliance, an independent member funded group of tech firms, major corporates, startups, universities and government agencies. It says the potential net benefit to New Zealand could be worth as much as $3.3 billion over 10 years from just nine applications of IoT alone. Alliance chair and NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says New Zealand can be more effective and efficient, by understanding and acting on a raft of improvements from issues as simple as water system improvements and intelligent street lighting through to more complex challenges such as driverless vehicles and better farm management. To achieve this, New Zealand needs more collaboration between businesses to understand the wider opportunities that IoT data and the combination of data sources can provide. “A clear Government position on IoT will help New Zealand to deploy cohesive and unified smart city initiatives across the country. Government investment in flagship IoT initiatives will also accelerate New Zealand's transition. “IoT is a discipline, no different than finance or planning and requires national leadership. A national role of chief technology officer would help provide leadership in this burgeoning area. “Accelerating a connected New Zealand and artificial intelligence (AI) applications will be particularly useful for understanding unstructured data, such as video, sound and images.” By 2019, it is estimated that more than 75 percent of IoT device manufacturers will improve their security and privacy capabilities, removing risk for technology buyers. “As security and privacy challenges are overcome, use cases involving human data will hit the spotlight in New Zealand. For example, connected cars, insurance telematics and personal wellness,” Muller says. To deliver a programme that creates awareness and develops knowledge, the report says New Zealand first requires an IoT vision and strategy. The vision and strategy needs to consider: • Is the right structure in place to create a sustainable and scalable IoT ecosystem in New Zealand? • What overseas models could the New Zealand Government learn from? • Should the Government partner with industry to look globally for the best emerging technologies and bring that technology to New Zealand? • What are the key IoT areas we aspire New Zealand to be world leaders in? • How will we enable the ecosystem to deliver innovation? Developing the right policy and regulatory frameworks for privacy and security will enable an explosion of new uses of IoT to be invested in as enterprises are no longer inhibited by uncertainty. As IoT matures in New Zealand, with appropriate support and guidance it will become mainstream in most enterprise's digital transformation journeys. Organisations will endeavour to use IoT for a competitive advantage, improve customer experience and gain deep insights into their business, alongside improvements to productivity and efficiency, Muller says.
| A Make Lemonade release || JUne 30, 2017 |||
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The Reserve Bank today published a report on compliance by insurers with the requirements to disclose their financial strength ratings and solvency information.
A recent survey by the Reserve Bank of a sample of 36 of the 89 licensed insurers found that the overall level of compliance with disclosure rules was well short of minimum requirements, with 53 percent of respondents complying at a low or poor level, and only 22 percent performing relatively well but with room to improve further. Only three insurers demonstrated an excellent level of compliance. Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Grant Spencer said “While we can’t necessarily extrapolate these results to all insurers, the results were very disappointing. Compliance with disclosure obligations needs to improve”. The survey should not be read as indicating underlying viability issues. The report shows that the most common issues found were: insurers not meeting their legal requirements to disclose the financial strength rating in writing prior to policyholders entering into and/or renewing a contract of insurance; solvency disclosure in financial statements being incomplete or incorrect; and website disclosures being incorrect, incomplete or not updated within the required timeframe.
“Compliance with disclosure requirements is a key component of the Reserve Bank’s prudential framework, which emphasises market discipline in addition to regulatory and self-discipline,” Mr Spencer said. Insurers have been told to improve and those who rated poor and low must report back to the Reserve Bank on improvements made. The Reserve Bank will undertake further assessment of compliance with disclosure obligations. “We need to see a marked improvement in compliance across the industry, and with some urgency,” Mr Spencer said. More information:Thematic Review – Insurer Disclosures
| A RBNZ release || June 29, 2017 |||
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Jacqui Dean has today released the terms of reference for a review of the Copyright Act 1994.
“Copyright affects how people create, distribute and access information,” Ms Dean says.
“It is important we ensure our copyright regime is fit for purpose in today’s rapidly changing technological environment.
“Launching a review now will also build on the insights of the Government’s Study of the role of copyright and designs in the creative sector, completed last year.
“The Study highlighted a range of opportunities and challenges faced by users, creators and owners of digital content. This review will look into these opportunities and challenges to ensure we have the right settings in New Zealand.”
The terms of reference provide an outline of the objectives, context and process for the review and will be further refined with industry feedback on an issues paper.
“I want stakeholders to get involved in the early stages of the review. In the coming months we will develop the issues paper and will be looking to engage with the wider industry,” Ms Dean says.
The terms of reference and further information on the review and Study are available on the MBIE website: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/business/intellectual-property/copyright/review-copyright-act-1994
| A Beehive release || June 29, 2017 |||
Revenue Minister Judith Collins has today signed a new tax protocol between New Zealand and Hong Kong. The protocol updates the existing double tax agreement between New Zealand and Hong Kong, to allow full exchange of information on tax matters between the two jurisdictions.
Once in force, the updated double tax treaty will require both Hong Kong and New Zealand to automatically exchange tax information with each other, in line with the G20 and OECD Automatic Exchange of Information global standard.
“This will allow New Zealand to meet its international obligations to complete the first automatic exchange of information by 30 September 2018,” Ms Collins says.
Under the global standard, New Zealand financial institutions must review their accounts and compile information to be reported.
New Zealand’s existing double tax agreement with Hong Kong was signed in 2010 but was limited to exchanges of information on request.
“The protocol will remove this limitation to allow automatic and spontaneous exchanges of tax information to take place,” says Ms Collins.
The Second Protocol will come into force once both signatories have completed their respective legal requirements.
| M Beehive release || June 28, 2017 |||
Airways New Zealand will continue to deliver air traffic control services to Niue, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and the Kingdom of Tonga after the contract was re-signed in Christchurch today, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.
“The Pacific Upper Airspace agreement we have with these four countries is a significant part of Airways New Zealand's involvement with the Pacific region, Airways also provides all New Zealand’s air navigation services,” Mr Bridges says.
“Airways is globally renowned and respected for leading innovation and development in the aviation sector, and has provided air traffic control services under the Upper Airspace agreement for the past fifteen years.
“This renewal – for a further five years – continues to strengthen New Zealand’s relationship with these Pacific nations.
“This agreement is also significant for the many thousands of travellers who head to Pacific holiday destinations each year, and for our vibrant and growing Pacifica community in New Zealand.
“The agreement will continue to provide the same high level of safety across the Pacific as we have in New Zealand’s airspace. There are around 11,500 flights per year in our region, and this is only set to increase. Air traffic in the Asia-Pacific region is set to grow to around half of the world’s air travel within 20 years, so having a high level of safety in place is key,” Mr Bridges says.
This agreement complements the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in the Pacific region, and in particular the recent Pacific Aeronautical Charting and Procedures (PACP) programme. The programme is implementing satellite-based approach procedures at 38 aerodromes across the Pacific to improve the ability of aircraft to land safely, especially in poor weather.
| A Beehive release || June 28, 2017 |||
A new wheelchair prototype with an innovative propulsion system has been developed by Massey University engineers that attempts to minimise chronic shoulder and wrist problems for self-propelled wheelchair users, while making it easier for users to travel uphill.
The chair, named Ezy-wheels, employs an innovative propulsion method where the user pushes and pulls the chair forward without their hands ever having to leave the pushrim.
Dr Claire Flemmer of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology says conventional manual wheelchairs have not changed in their essential design in over one hundred years and studies have shown that many people develop upper limb pain within a year of use.
“Manual wheelchairs require an inefficient push effort, where the user grips either the wheel or a slightly smaller rim on the outside, called the pushrim, and propels the chair forward by pushing the rim, until they are forced let go and repeat the action. This means only about 25 per cent of the action actually contributes to the chair going forward.”
“This method causes an imbalanced repetitive strain on the shoulders and wrists that can lead to chronic pain - the longer a person uses the manual wheelchair, the worse it gets until they have to change to a powered wheelchair.”The new system is able to improve upon the stroke efficiency by keeping the hands on the push rim and utilising 100 per cent of the arm movement.
Dr Flemmer says this will reduce the impact on the shoulders and wrists and delay or prevent pain as the load on the joints is now balanced.
This new system is employed in one of the chair’s two modes, called Run mode. Run mode is designed for use on longer journeys and more challenging terrain. It also employs the second innovation, a three-gear system.
“The gearing system is similar to a bicycle. High gear is used when the path is easy, such as a flat or downward sloping, smooth surface and low gear when the path is harder, such as up a ramp or tarred path. Run mode does not allow the user to reverse, preventing the user from rolling backwards down a slope.
“A standard chair performs poorly on even a mild upward slope and when you add age and physical ability into the mix it can be a real challenge,” says Dr Flemmer.
In standard mode, the chair operates just like any other manual wheelchair, allowing indoor manoeuvrability, but with the addition of three gears.
Dr Flemmer’s husband, Dr Rory Flemmer has collaborated on the project with her from the outset.
“It all started around 30 years ago when Rory and I were watching a lady struggle to get up a wheelchair ramp because of the slope. We spent many years barking up the wrong tree with other ideas to make four-wheel drive type chairs, but I think we have it now.”
“This work is so important when you look at it from the point of view of someone in a wheelchair. When movement causes you pain over long distances, your world shrinks to how far you can go and if you are able to drive or have someone drive you. It’s not just the physical pain as it reduces social interaction, which can lead to depression, anxiety and poorer quality of life.”
The chair is still a prototype but the Dr Flemmer says that plans have already been drawn up to use lighter materials to make the chair more user friendly for the final production model.
| A Massey University release || June 28, 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