The Engineering e2e programme achieving its goal of 500+ engineering graduates per year by 2017 a year early will be welcome news for industry, says Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Paul Goldsmith.
“It’s very pleasing to see all the hard work by Engineering e2e, Futureintech, tertiary institutions, engineering professional organisations and others has really paid off,” Mr Goldsmith says.
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has confirmed 511 graduates from priority engineering courses in 2016, a full year ahead of schedule, for a total of 2,151 graduates in 2016. Set up by the Government in 2014, the Engineering – Education to Employment (e2e) initiative promotes engineering as a career to students.
“Engineering e2e’s successful public awareness campaign has already lifted the profile of engineering from 10th to 3rd place in potential student’s career considerations.
“More than 500 additional graduates each year is a step in the right direction though we still have quite a bit of work to do to address the balance of graduates across Diploma of Engineering (Level 6), Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Level 7) and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Level 8) qualifications.
“Our big challenge, supported by employer feedback, is growing enrolments at institutes of technology, which specialise in level 6 and 7 qualifications,” Mr Goldsmith says.
“So I am pleased to see Engineering e2e is working closely with the ITP sector, and with engineering professional bodies to really focus on employer engagement to grow the pipeline of work-ready engineers.”
Engineering e2e has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) and IPWEA is collaborating with e2e on its sponsored degrees pilot programme which is being funded by the TEC.
Sponsored degrees would enable both on-the-job training and the completion of a Level 7 qualification in engineering, like the Bachelor of Engineering (Technology), and are particularly relevant for rapidly changing, high-tech industries.
“Engineers help build the infrastructure that makes up our modern world. New Zealand needs more engineers to meet the growing demand for construction and infrastructure, and this Government is focussed on meeting those challenges into the future,” says Mr Goldsmith.
| A Beehive release || June 7, 2017 |||
Although Kiwi trade phones have been ringing hot in the wake of the diplomatic brouhaha in the Gulf and London terror attacks, travel from New Zealand is unlikely to be ruffled by the two world events.
The Maldives, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar Airways, effectively suspending all Qatari planes to the seven Middle East countries. The crisis came at the time Europe was reeling by a terrorism attack in central London, which took the lives of seven people.
The House of Travel and Flight Centre say a flood of customers have been asking how the events will impact on travel. However, at this stage, it is unlikely to make an impact. Qatar, which entered the Kiwi market in Februay, says its flights to and from Auckland will not be disrupted by the crisis.
Accordingly, House of Travel commercial director Brent Thomas says the company has adopted a wait-and-see attitude ‘It is unknown at this stage how far the situation will go and what it will mean. It is too early to say what impact it will have if any on travellers going to Doha and further into Europe.’
Flight Centre says it is unlikely travellers from New Zealand will be affected by the announcement. It will be business as usual for those flying Qatar Airways to Doha and on to Europe unless they were calling in on one of the seven countries laying down the ban.
It also advises the company will monitor the situation, and its travel experts across the country will be kept informed of updates.
Meanwhile, House of Travel and Flight Centre say they are not aware of cancellations being made following the attack in London. And it appears hardy Kiwi travellers will continue to travel to the UK and Europe during the high season. ‘At this stage bookings are still coming in since this attack as well as the one in Manchester earlier this month,’ says Thomas.
‘If this is not followed up quickly by more acts of terror, we expect bookings to remain in their normal pattern.’
Nonetheless, House of Travel is keeping an eye on the situation, mindful that England is holding its Business as usual for Kiwi trade in spite of turmoil on the international stage snap election tomorrow. He advises travellers to keep an eye on government travel website Safe Travel and to stay vigilant. ‘Kiwis are resilient so I don’t think at this stage it will impact. It seems more an isolated incident and so bookings will continue as normal.’
Flight Centre says it has about 5000 customers in the UK and a couple of thousand are due to travel over the next week.
The UK and Europe is a top destination for our customers at Flight Centre and the last couple of years have seen this consistently increase year on year. This year has so far been no exception and we don’t anticipate this will change,’ a statement from the company states.
| A TravelMemo release || June 7, 2017 |||
A record number of entries to the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Challenge resulted in tough competition with six schools selected for the national final.
The annual competition attracted entries from 53 secondary schools from across New Zealand to step into the shoes of a Reserve Bank economist.
Four Auckland schools – Macleans College, Takapuna Grammar, Kristin School and Auckland International College were named as finalists, along with James Hargest College, Invercargill and St Patrick's College (Kilbirnie), Wellington. Kristin School is the only school from the 2017 finalists to have previously won the title.
The competition is designed to increase students’ understanding of monetary policy by working as a team to assess economic conditions and make a prediction for the Official Cash Rate (OCR) decision. The competition is open to Year 12 and 13 Secondary School students and can also contribute towards NCEA achievement standards.
Reserve Bank economists, who judged the entries, were impressed with the quality of the presentations and the way the schools interpreted the current economic environment.
“We were looking for teams that understood Monetary Policy, could communicate this well and answer questions to apply their knowledge,” Judges Amy Rice and Amber Watson said.
“Students did well analysing issues that are of current interest to the Bank, such as the effect of migration and the drivers of consumption.”
The finalists will travel to the Bank in Wellington for the National finals on 5 July to give an oral presentation and compete for the title of Challenge winner and the winning team will be invited back to the Reserve Bank on 10 August 2017 to attend the Monetary Policy Statement media conference.
MPC website: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/challenge/
| A RBNZ release || June 7, 2017 |||
Steel & Tube Holdings is facing 29 court charges of making false and misleading representations about its steel mesh product SE62.
The Commerce Commission filed the charges in the Auckland District Court under the Fair Trading Act, relating to conduct between March 1, 2012, and April 6, 2016, the Wellington-based regulator said in a statement. Steel & Tube has been cooperating with the commission throughout the investigation and is working with the regulator to reach an appropriate resolution of the charges, the Lower Hutt-based company said in a statement to the stock exchange.
The regulator started its investigation in August 2015 after a complaint was laid about the steel mesh, which is used in housing and driveway construction, not meeting the standards required in New Zealand. The commission signed enforceable undertakings in late April 2016 with Steel & Tube that the company would only sell SE62 500E grade steel mesh that passed specific independent testing. The undertakings were also imposed on other companies.
The commission said today that the charges allege Steel & Tube made misleading representations on their batch tags, batch test certificates, advertising collateral and website that SE62 was 500E grade steel, when it was not. The charges also allege that false and misleading representations were made by Steel & Tube that SE62 steel mesh had been independently tested and certified, when it had not. This included using the logo of an independent testing laboratory on SE62 test certificates when the product had not been tested by the laboratory.
Charges were also filed earlier this year against Timber King Ltd and NZ Steel Distributor Ltd in relation to false and misleading representations about 500E steel mesh. These companies have entered guilty pleas and will be sentenced in court in August. The commission said it expects to lay charges against one other company, and investigations continue into an additional company.
Steel & Tube has admitted selling “many thousands of sheets” of earthquake reinforcing mesh incorrectly labelled as being independently certified after it used the logo of accredited independent testing laboratory Holmes Solutions on its steel mesh for four years despite it not having carried out the tests. Steel & Tube’s in-house laboratory, which is not independently accredited by national accreditation body IANZ, had been used to test the mesh.
Steel & Tube said today it continues to stand behind its products, and noted that since April 2016 all of its seismic mesh has been tested externally by accredited laboratories.
The commission has previously said that misrepresenting a product as complying with the standard when it doesn't is a breach of the act for which companies can be fined up to $600,000 per offence.
Shares in Steel & Tube last traded at $2.52, and have gained 45 percent over the past year.
| A Businessdesk release || June 7, 2017 |||
The New Zealand owners of Formica Group Europe, Fletcher Building, have pledged to plough £40m into the UK sites over the next three years, radically transforming and upgrading its production facilities and offices in a move to drive up its UK market share.
Formica has been a major employer in the North East’s manufacturing sector for more than 70 years, making laminate products for the residential and commercial sectors at its sites in North Shields and Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
Peter Rush, president of Formica Group Europe, revealed full details of the investment plans for the first time at a special open day at the Coast Road site, bringing together industry leaders, politicians and directors as the firm cemented its commitment to the North East.
The investment is being made in three phases, the first of which has seen the relocation of around 100 office staff from Cobalt to the Coast Road base, which will now serve as the European headquarters – a decision backed by the New Zealand parent company after the Brexit vote last June.
Mr Rush outlined other significant spending plans which will bring new machinery and upgrades for existing machinery, which could potentially create new jobs. There are plans to centralise manufacturing activities under one roof in the west factory, located behind the east building, and new products are also being introduced in a bid to grab a greater market share.
Mr Rush said: “In 2015 Formica took a big deep breath and said: ‘What are we going to do with Formica Europe?’.
“If you look back at its performance over the previous five years, it was one of those moments when you either invest and get behind the business, or you might need to find another option.
“They took the view that we’ll get behind the business, put a new leadership business in place, get behind the business and come up with a strategic plan and based on that plan give this a real good go, which is exactly where we are today.
“Flectcher Building has been a fantastic parent company. They are thousands of miles away and they are allowing us to spend £40m over the next three years, and that’s a huge amount.| A ChronicleLive release || June 6, 2017 |||
Finance Minister Steven Joyce and incoming Acting Reserve Bank Governor Grant Spencer today signed a renewed Policy Targets Agreement (PTA), which sets out specific targets for maintaining price stability.
The Policy Targets Agreement takes effect on 27 September 2017, after Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler completes his term on 26 September 2017.
It will apply from 27 September 2017 until 26 March 2018.
There is no change from the existing agreement which requires the Reserve Bank to keep future CPI inflation outcomes between 1 per cent and 3 per cent on average over the medium term, with a focus on keeping future average inflation near the 2 percent target midpoint.
The renewed PTA will provide continuity, consistency and stability for the monetary policy target over the election period and during the period of appointment of a new Governor.
Read the renewed Policy Targets Agreement
| A RBNZ release || June 7, 2017 |||
Top Kiwi furniture company, the PLN Group, is setting the global industry alight with its world leading nano technology developments.
The PLN Group, based in Auckland, is a finalist in the Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards, with winners to be announced on June 29. The company is earning up to 40 percent of its revenue off shore from clients such as Citibank, HSBC, Google, Hewlett Packard, Disney and Apple, chief executive Blair McKolskey says.
“Our cutting-edge innovations such as the acoustic nano technology is world leading and we are seeking to gain entry into Europe and North America this year.
“We have product we manufactured on display in North America’s biggest commercial furniture show NeoCon in Chicago next week.
“We are one of, if not the most, innovative furniture firms in New Zealand. We have special nano technology in acoustic applications, leading developments in air filtration and Internet of Things in furniture. We are turning the furniture world on its head.
“We are one of the few truly vertically-integrated research, design and manufacturing firms in New Zealand. There are many furniture manufacturers, many resellers and few research firms. We do all three.
“We are one of the leading research firms in the New Zealand furniture market. We have qualified for a Callaghan grant to carry out research and development.
“We are one of the biggest exporters of furniture in New Zealand and one of the fastest growing with global product sales climbing more than 500 percent in the last five years.”
PLN has been invited by world leading furniture giant Haworth to showcase the best of their Keystone modular furniture system at exhibitions in Singapore and Sydney next month and in Bangalore in August.
McKolskey says the Haworth events are the annual exhibitions in the Asia Pacific region and of the entire portfolio of products featured, PLN will sit alongside two other global furniture brands Cappellini of Italy and Orange Box of the UK.
“The implicit endorsement of our firm and product is enormous benefit to our brand and product offering. It puts our Kiwi label on the same stage as one of the greatest furniture brands of the world, Cappellini, which is famous for identifying new trends and talents in the global furniture industry.
“Our nano tech has been a collaborative effort with one of only approximately five facilities in the world that can commercially spin nano fibre.
“We are also innovators in the application of the dense fibre to absorb sound waves in furniture. Haworth people say we have created an entirely new category of product in the furniture industry and we have created a path for others to follow. We are developing new technologies all the time,” McKolskey says.
For further information contact PLN chief executive Blair McKolskey on 027 2427688 or Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188.
| A Make Lemonade release || June 7, 2017 |||
R&D spend main measure of success for Callaghan Innovation, Goldsmith says
Over 500 new engineers just the start
Steel & Tube faces 29 court charges for misleading claims over its steel mesh
Fletcher Building increase investment in Formica Group Europe
DS Smith acquires corrugated box maker DPF Groupe
Councils face flood of water infrastructure costs
Finance minister says bigger surplus due to timing
A bid to save the Cadbury factory in Dunedin is being unveiled today.
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