Victoria University of Wellington has become the first New Zealand university to sign up to a new international initiative known as the University Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The commitment is an initiative of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Australia/Pacific to showcase the leadership role that universities can play in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 SDGs, agreed by all UN member countries in 2015, aim to tackle poverty, promote prosperity and well-being for all, protect the environment and address climate change, and encourage good governance and peace and security.
Victoria joins eight Australia universities as a signatory to the commitment. The universities agree to a number of measures, including undertaking research into sustainable development challenges and providing opportunities for students to learn about sustainable development.
“I am proud that Victoria is the first New Zealand university to pledge its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals,” says Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford.
“As a world-leading capital city and global civic university, Victoria has much to contribute to this societal conversation. We are committed to building a sustainability culture across the University through leadership, research, teaching, our wider public engagement and in how we operate.”
Associate Professor Marjan van den Belt, who joined Victoria last year in the new role of Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability), says the commitment is significant. “While our Government has signed New Zealand up to the SDGs, it is important for business and civil society to also recognise the opportunity provided by the SDG lens to work together.
“The SDG framework gives us a 13-year Agenda—through to 2030—which we can get behind, as a University and as individuals, to bring about change.”
Associate Professor van den Belt is a speaker at the United Nations Association of New Zealand annual conference in Wellington next week, which has a theme of sustainable development.
| A Victoria University release || June 22, 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. However, major challenges remain with on-going surplus capacity and extensive political uncertainty.
Headline inflation has increased over the past year in several countries, but moderated recently with the fall in energy prices. Core inflation and long-term bond yields remain low. Monetary policy is expected to remain stimulatory in the advanced economies, but less so going forward.
The trade-weighted exchange rate has increased by around 3 percent since May, partly in response to higher export prices. A lower New Zealand dollar would help rebalance the growth outlook towards the tradables sector.
GDP growth in the March quarter was lower than expected, with weaker export volumes and residential construction partially offset by stronger consumption. Nevertheless, the growth outlook remains positive, supported by accommodative monetary policy, strong population growth, and high terms of trade. Recent changes announced in Budget 2017 should support the outlook for growth.
House price inflation has moderated further, especially in Auckland. The slowdown 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 on-going 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. 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.
Monetary policy will remain accommodative for a considerable period. Numerous uncertainties remain and policy may need to adjust accordingly.
| A RBNZ release || June 22, 2017 |||
Millions of waste tyres each year are to be used to manufacture cement as part of a wider Government plan to address the environmental problems of end of life tyres, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith announced at the Golden Bay Cement works in Whangarei today.
“New Zealand has a long-standing problem, with five million waste tyres generated each year. We have dozens of tyre stockpiles around the country posing a fire risk, leaching contaminants, providing a breeding ground for rodents and insects, and blotting the landscape. This initiative proposes controls on new stockpiles, establishes a nationwide collection and shredding operation and provides a large scale end use by installing technology to enable waste tyres to be used in cement manufacture.
“The proposed National Environmental Standard will prohibit stockpiles of waste tyres of over 200m3 - 2500 car tyres - without a council consent dealing with the environmental issues of leachate, fire risk, vermin and insects, visual amenity and a bond for future disposal. These new restrictions are needed to protect the environment, prevent ratepayers having to pick up the bill of dealing with stockpiles and to help channel waste tyres into more sustainable recycling and disposal options.
“The Government has provided a grant of $3.8 million for Waste Management New Zealand to set up a nationwide tyre collection network and tyre shredding facilities in Auckland and Christchurch involving capital investment of $6.4 million. This is needed because the major barrier to re-use of waste tyres is their bulk, making transport and disposal uneconomic. The shredding machinery will be imported this year, operational in Auckland by the end of 2017 and in Christchurch in 2018.
“Golden Bay Cement, a subsidiary of Fletcher Building, is being provided with a grant of $13.6 million towards the $18.1 million cost of new equipment that will dispose of 3.1 million shredded tyres per year. This technology is globally one of the most common and economically viable solutions to waste tyres. The high temperature incineration minimises pollutants, the steel in the tyres contributes to the iron requirements of cement and the rubber provides a fuel substitute for coal. The major environmental gain from this initiative is a solution for millions of waste tyres but there is also a benefit in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Golden Bay Cement is New Zealand’s fifth largest emitter and the substitution of rubber biofuel for coal reduces emissions by 13,000 tonnes per year, or the equivalent of 6000 cars.
“We are also providing grants of $1.2 million to another seven smaller tyre waste projects. Eco Rubber Industries Ltd is being provided with a grant of $600,000 towards $2.4 million of machinery to produce rubber granules for rubber underlay, with a capacity for 600,000 tyres per year. Nufuels Ltd is being provided a $90,000 grant for a $135,000 pilot pyrolysis plant for 150,000 tyres per year. Other grants to Scion and Fulton Hogan cover feasibility studies into using recycled rubber for sound proof building products, roading and cycleway construction that could develop into future end uses for New Zealand’s waste tyres.
“These Government grants of $19 million will enable $28 million of investment into tyre waste solutions. Combined with the new regulations restricting stockpiling, these measures will go a huge way towards a sustainable solution to New Zealand’s end of life tyre problem.”
More information on these of funded projects can be found on the Ministry for the Environment’s website at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/more/funding/waste-minimisation-fund-funded-projects
| A Beehive release || June 22, 2017 |||
World famous in Napier Wisey's Pies are for sale, thats the business not just the pies! ____________________________
Tony Alexander's Weekly report
New Zealand gains formal access into China for blood products
The little town at the forefront of the NZ-made movement
Cut-the-pat rule threatens indebted dairy farmers
25-year dredging consent secured25-year dredging consent secured
Choc shock as Dunedin fundraising campaign drops Cadbury bid
Napier Port continues to rely on Konecranes to further strengthen its important position on New Zealand’s North Island. In December 2017 six new lift trucks will be delivered to the terminal, situated in the rapidly growing Hawke’s Bay region.
The most recent order from Napier Port includes two Konecranes Liftace R 6-41 MS reach stackers, two Konecranes Liftace FDC 25 K7 DB empty container handlers, and lastly, two Konecranes Liftace FDC 480 G4 full container handlers. Another two FDC 480 G4 full container handlers have recently been put into operation in the terminal.
As the new reach stackers are foreseen to handle containers on both ship and rail side, Napier Port has deliberately opted for Liftace R 6-41 MS reach stackers. Being equipped with front side stabilizers, these machines feature up to 41 ton capacity in the second row and have a particularly low turning radius.
Warren Young, Container Operations Manager at Napier Port, explained:
“Our port is the logistic turnstile of the entire region. Technology from Konecranes has been a key element of our sustainable growth strategy and we are currently operating six Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour cranes, four of which were delivered over the last four years. As these machines have become an integral part of our operation, it was logical to also opt for lift trucks from Konecranes. We are sure that relying on equipment and aftermarket support from one single supplier will enhance the efficiency of our operations.”
Tony Maxwell, Managing Director of Port Solution Ltd - distribution partner of Konecranes Lift Trucks concluded:
“Napier Port is situated in a region known as ‘the fruit bowl of New Zealand’ due to its high quality fruit production. The terminal is one of the country’s most important gateways to the world, with regard to both the export of goods such as food and timber, and the import of oil products, cement, fertilizers and general commodities, and Konecranes machines play a key role. In 2016, it was above all Napier’s container handling activities that grew significantly, and we are very pleased that this fast developping port decided to continue to benefit from Konecranes diversified offer.”
| A DryBulk release || June 21, 2017 |||
Has taken Napoleon’s Advice: Do not Interrupt your enemies while they are making a mistake
New Zealand First Party leader WInston Peters MP has re-drawn the map of the pending general election so that all roads lead to his own central issue which is immigration
Like the maestro his adherents believe him to be WInston Peters MP has choreographed the pending general election around this single issue.
No matter which route his competitors in campaigning actually wish to take, he has wired the general election so that they must converge on and arrive at immigration
All the other issues converge on the single theme of immigration and do so regardless of any face value variant. Here are the usual main ones that now end up at the immigration destination:-
This quartet of traditional issues has been boiled down to immigration.
Mr Peters’ focus on immigration now puts pressure on the area most affected by the influx which is the Auckland isthmus which the Labour Party regards as its electoral territory.
Having set the order of the election battle to chime with his own agenda Mr Peters gives the impression of heeding the advice of Napoleon who recommended that enemies should never be interrupted while they are making a mistake.
He has boxed in the Labour Party to the extent that it can only tinker with policy surrounding the language schools and their uncertain backdoor contribution to the inflow.
The Greens meanwhile are doctrinally obliged to call for the accommodation of more and still more refugees.
Then there is the National Party.
It has long seen a direct parallel with an immigration influx and industrial growth.
The extent to which it has been check-mated was revealed when New Zealand Business, nowadays the main industrial lobby, tried to refocus the issue on seasonal migrants on farms which has nothing to do with the type of immigration that Mr Peters is talking about.
Then there is Britain now so vividly portrayed in terms of the grotesque high rise, intensive, and now demonstrably unsafe accommodation required to house the recent arrivals.
Neither is this flood of experience in Europe likely to abate before the general election.
Mr Peters’ skill as a politician has been to define issues worrying to the electorate at large. He strips away the confusing ideological or doctrinal or simply fashionable camouflage that disguises them.
As the conductor now of his own electoral orchestra he is there on the rostrum in a position to direct his general election symphony without any distracting variants.
| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || Wednesday 21 June 2017 |||
20 June 2017 – Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Energy Corp. (the “Company”) (TSX-V: NZ) announced today that it has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chartered Accountants, New Zealand as auditor of the Company effective 20 June 2017. Given the consolidation of the Company’s head office and administrative functions in New Zealand, it was deemed appropriate for the audit to be managed by an auditor based in New Zealand rather than Canada. The resignation of the Company’s former auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants, Vancouver, BC, was accepted by the Company effective 20 June 2017.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
“James Willis”
Chairman
| A New Zealand Energy corp release || June 20, 2017 |||