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 |||
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Exploding Glass can equal Serious Injury
This young child was badly injured due to an invisible contamination that could be lurking inside ANY piece of toughened glass in. It can cause the whole pane to explode without warning. Luckily installing clear safety window film to the glass can minimise the risk if it breaks as the film will hold the glass shards and stop the lacerating risk.
Click here to read more and view the TV clip
| A Solar Gard release | Thursday 29, June 2017 |||
Palmerston North City is the quintessential university town. It is the second youngest city in New Zealand per capita with an average age of 33, due to its large student population of nearly 20,000 tertiary students, Grant Smith, the Mayor of Palmerston North City, tells GovInsider.
The city has plans to attract young people not just to study, but to live in the city. “We’ll grow by another 20-30,000 people in the next twenty years,” says Smith. For a city with a population of 90,000, that is a substantial 30% increase.
But Smith notes that the council “[needs] to be mindful that just being a good city to live in will not retain young talent or attract investment”. In the coming years, Palmerston North will embrace technology, improve sustainability and create jobs to attract millennials to the city.
Going digital
With a great number of young people, Smith says, “you get take-up of technology [that is] greater than you would in an older demographic, or even in a metropolitan city”. “We have a great uptake of ultra-fast broadband here, one of the highest in New Zealand,” he notes.
The city council is going paperless in a number of ways, according to Smith. Firstly, similar to Tauranga City Council, building consent documentation will be done digitally from this week, on a cloud-based system. “The system enables building consent to be tracked from when they’re launched through to when they’re completed. That’s quite a big thing for us internally,” Smith explains. He adds that the council itself is going paperless too: “We conduct all our meetings electronically.”
The city also has a big focus on agricultural technology. Building on a “good agricultural reputation”—70% of the world’s sheep meat comes from within two hours of Palmerston North—the council is now in negotiations with Microsoft to establish an agritech centre in the city, he shares.
“They have honed in on New Zealand because of our good agricultural reputation and footprint. I’ve looked at different regions and we’ve probably got the most diverse agricultural sector here,” says Smith, adding that besides sheep meat, the city produces dairy, beef, produce, venison and deer.
Creating jobs
The council plans to accommodate more people through “intensification”, rather than building suburbs outwards, in a phenomenon called ‘urban sprawl’. “In terms of the district plan which enables the growth to develop, we prefer to look at buildings and more CBD [Central Business District] living rather than just continuing to grow suburb after suburb,” Smith says.
And for this growth to be sustainable, creating and retaining jobs are big on the agenda for the council. To that end, Smith believes the city is “very well-positioned” to host big data centres. “It is something we’ve been talking to some of the major players about,” he says.
“They generally don’t go into big cities, because the power is too expensive. They need lots of water to cool their facility,” Smith adds. “If you look overseas in places such as Europe, they are traditionally based in a rural but well-connected area.” To illustrate, Palmerston North is strategically located on the central lower part of the North Island of New Zealand, allowing it to be the “logistics distribution hub that we’ve become known for”, he says. “Our geological location really helps us.”
Clean energy
Technology also enables the council to achieve its sustainability goals, which are a big priority for them. “We’ve embraced electric vehicles, we have a number of them in our fleet now,” Smith says. Building inspectors and general officers now use electric vehicles, and so does the council’s eco advisor, who helps the public and businesses make better use of energy within their homes and buildings.“We will be looking to going electric rather than petrol in the coming years,” he adds.
There is also a focus on clean energy and lowering carbon emissions; the council produces 30% of its own energy. “We like to see ourselves as a eco-city, and we are future-focused,” Grant shares.
And in the next ten years, there will be a “major wastewater plant upgrade”, which will move away from the traditional method of simply discharging wastewater into a waterway. “We’re looking at all sorts of different options,” Grant explains.
As Palmerston North gears up to welcome 30,000 new citizens into its fold, millennials studying there may one day want to live there, too.
|I nterview with Mayor Grant Smith, Palmerston North City Council by Nurfilzah Rohaidi, GovInsider || June 28, 2017 |||
Gears, motors and drives specialist Bonfiglioli says that its expanded New Zealand warehouse optimises stock availability and accessibility.
Bonfiglioli is expanding its New Zealand branch with a 25% bigger warehouse, workshop and freight transitioning area as part of an overall plan to streamline logistics, optimise stock availability and better serve customer needs.
The Auckland-based branch serves all of New Zealand, by providing gears, motors and drives to customers in many industries and sectors, including bulk handling and mining.
“We typically work on shorter lead times than other branches anyway, due to the nature of the business in New Zealand. We need to be able to pack and assemble for three to four day deliveries at times,” said Neil Pollington, Bonfiglioli New Zealand country manager.
“Our competitive advantage is why this upgrade is vital to the continuous improvement of our business. It gives us greater flexibility in the handling, warehousing and assembly of products, which optimises stock availability and lead times,” he said.
The expansion of the NZ branch is part of a strategic plan to grow the entire operation with a strong focus on stock availability, to meet customer needs. Other initiatives include in-country assembly in both Australia and New Zealand, which further enhances lead times.
“Being able to understand customers’ needs is crucial to the success of our business. As an Italian owned company, a lot of our suppliers are based in Europe, so we have long lead times for parts. Our close relationships with our valued customers mean that we are often ordering parts in advance, so that we can deliver on-time,” said Mr Pollington.
| Written by Charles Macdonald in Bulk Handing || June 28, 2017 |||
The Waikato-Tainui owned Ruakura inland port development has taken a major step forward with the announcement today of a joint venture partnership with a world-class port operator.
The tribe’s commercial company Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) and LINX Cargo Care Group have joined forces to develop and operate the new port, which is currently under construction and expected to bring significant economic return to Waikato-Tainui and the region.
LINX Cargo Care Group and one of its subsidiaries, C3 Limited, New Zealand’s largest on-wharf logistics company, are owned by a Brookfield Consortium which brings together global experience in port operations and infrastructure development.
Rukumoana Schaafhausen, Chairman of the tribe’s executive committee Te Arataura, welcomed LINX Cargo Care Group to the Waikato-Tainui whaanau and acknowledged their mutual commitment to long-term investment.
“Waikato-Tainui is an inter-generational investor. What we achieve today will reverberate for generations of our mokopuna. LINX brings not only significant expertise in port development and operation but also a long-term vision that matches our view of the positive environmental, social and economic advantages that must and will come from this project,” she said.
TGH Chief Executive Chris Joblin said the conditional agreement reached this week will bring the full force of LINX Cargo Care Group’s world class experience to bear at Ruakura through a new joint venture to develop and operate the port.
“We are delighted to confirm this agreement with LINX Cargo Care Group following a comprehensive RFP process over the past ten months which attracted expressions of interest from seven potential port operators,” Mr Joblin said.
“LINX and C3 share our long-term vision to help transform North Island freight flows, driving new levels of productivity, efficiency and speed to market for the rapidly growing export and import community in the golden triangle of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga,” he said.
The 50/50 joint venture of TGH and LINX Cargo Care Group will take an initial 30 year lease on the inland port land at Ruakura, subject to the OIO (Overseas Investment Office) approval for the participation of LINX Cargo Care Group which operates extensively across Australia and New Zealand.
Waikato-Tainui will continue to own the land on which the Ruakura Inland Port is built, and benefit from ground lease payments for its use.
Anthony Jones, Group CEO for LINX Cargo Care Group and Chairman of C3 said the transformative nature of Ruakura was a major attraction.
“Ruakura will be transformational for the New Zealand logistical supply chain. It will offer stable, efficient and cost effective networks for importers and exporters to grow with confidence in the future. We are extremely excited to be part of this project for New Zealand’s North Island communities, which will deliver long-term benefits such as safer roads, employment opportunities and reliable inland transport networks,” he said.
In addition to the range of services Ruakura will provide to the region’s exporters and importers, it has the potential to support 6,000-12,000 jobs within the precinct once fully-built.
A Maori Television Online News Team release | June 28, 2017 |||