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The Tony Alexander Weekly Overview
JOB VACCANCIES
Ξ Want to work with Antarctica New Zealand?
Ξ Chief Executive - Farra Engineering Dunedin based - diverse engineering business
Price:From $2,375
Stay:4 nights
Travel Dates:Thursday 5th of October 2017 until Monday 9th of October 2017
Description:SUPERCHEAP AUTO BATHURST 1000 - 4 Nights from $2375* per person (with Sporting Tours).
Every year the Bathurst 1000 produces incredible showdowns as drivers try to conquer ‘The Mountain’. The 4-day 1,000-kilometre touring car race is a round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and is considered the pinnacle of Australian motorsport. Experience the exhilarating atmosphere on and off the track with fantastic entertainment, a full schedule of V8 Supercars and excellent facilities. We’re delighted to have motor racing expert Willie Kay hosting our group again. Willie is an exceptional tour escort with immense knowledge and industry contacts, which helps gives this trip its legendary reputation. Past tours have had the chance to get up close to the drivers, go behind the scenes and really be part of the Bathurst experience. Let us know when you want to fly and we’ll provide the best airfare options and prices. Extend your stay and explore more of Australia, we’ve got some great ideas to get the most out of your trip! Want to know more? Give us a call, we’re always happy to help.
Inclusions:
WILLIE KAY
A former speedway and circuit driver, a car owner and Indy Car crew man, was a Director of Speedway NZ for eleven years, and promoter of Western Springs and Baypark tracks for nineteen years. Willie has escorted motorsport tours including Indianapolis 500, Formula One Grand Prix, vintage car events, V8 super cars, major speedway races and aviation events for thirty five years. Motorsport in its many facets has been his life and work, and Willie takes no greater pleasure than in sharing his experience, knowledge and contacts for the benefit of tour members.
Book your place now to save disappointment.
Conditions: * It is our policy to present the cost of our flights & holidays inclusive of all airport and government charges. Please accept however that these charges are not within our control, therefore we reserve the right to pass on any increase. Travel agent professional service fees where charged, will be additional to the advertised prices.
Bookings
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Air New Zealand is growing its Vancouver-Auckland operation by nearly 20 percent from January – July 2018, providing customers with greater choice and flexibility.
The airline will kick the increases off by moving from seven to eight weekly services during the first half of January peak period, making it easier than ever for Kiwis to escape to the snow.
Frequency of services will also grow over the shoulder season with the airline moving from five weekly services to daily flights during February, and increasing to five services a week in March and April (up from four) and four weekly services during May – mid-June (up from three).
Air New Zealand Chief Revenue Officer Cam Wallace says the airline is delighted to be able to offer its customers more scheduled flights to and from Vancouver.
“We recognise how popular Canada is as a winter destination for Kiwis. We also see the value in increasing services to New Zealand for Canadian tourists, allowing them to escape the winter and enjoy a chance to experience our beautiful summer and the tranquility of New Zealand through the shoulder season.”
| An Air New Zealand release || August 3, 2017 |||
Cathay Pacific needs someone from the Swire family to “come out and lead the company for a while,” according to the airline’s latest big investor, quoted by the South China Morning Post.
Circuit-board tycoon Cheung Kwok-wing, who has bought an 8.3% stake in Cathay, expects the airline to return to financial health in six to 12 months, according to the newspaper.
The Swire Group, very British, is deeply rooted in China, in Hong Kong and in Cathay Pacific. The Swire Group’s privately owned parent company is John Swire & Sons Limited, founded by John Swire (1793–1847) in 1816. Swire’s roots in China date back to before the first Opium War between Britain and China.http://www.granmonte.com/
The publicly quoted Swire Pacific Limited holds the Swire Group’s core businesses in Hong Kong. They are grouped into property, aviation, beverages and food, marine services, trading and industrial. In 1948, Swire Pacific acquired Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s largest airline, and remains as the largest shareholder with 45% shareholding.
Current chairman of the Swire Group is British billionaire businessman Barnaby Nicholas Swire.
Bloomberg’s Gadfly has suggested that one strategy for the airline would be to embrace, rather than fight China’s growing might. There’s conjecture that Air China may make a move on Cathay Pacific, taking it over to create the world’s largest cargo airline and second-largest passenger carrier. If you combine Air China and Cathay Pacific, the joint entity is bigger, in revenue-passenger-kilometre terms, than Emirates.
Air China could promote Cathay as its premium brand.
Bloomberg Businessweek notes that Cathay is now the most richly valued of the world’s major airlines, despite heading to its second consecutive year of losses. It speculates that the current Chinese leadership, very patriotic, might see value in bringing under Chinese ownership the one big Chinese airline that’s still run by British aristocrats. It might pay a lot for that.
| Written by Peter Needham for eTravel NewsMedia || August 3, 2017 \\\
Emma Tucker writes in deZeen that bicycle company Brompton has borrowed Formula One racing technology to create an electric version of its bestselling folding bike.
Aimed at easing city dwellers' commutes, the Brompton Electric relies on a battery that clips onto the front of the bike and stores away into a separate bag for easy carrying.
Brompton partnered with Williams Advanced Engineering – part of the Williams Group, which also owns the Williams Martini Racing Formula One team – to develop the bike's bespoke motor.
It is calling Brompton Electric the most technically advanced model it has ever produced.
"We've spent five years taking Williams Racing technology and integrating it into the Brompton," said company CEO Will Butler-Adams.
"It has been harder than any of us imagined but we believe we have created a product that will inspire more people to get out from under the ground, out of their cars and back onto a bike to rediscover their cities."
Brompton's folding frames date back to 1975, when Andrew Ritchie built the first one in his flat in London. The brand opened its first factory in 1988, and today makes more than 45,000 folding bikes each year – making it the UK's largest cycle manufacturer.
Aimed at city dwellers, Brompton bikes fold up to a third of their size, so can be carried on trains by commuters, or packed into the boot of a car.
While a typical Brompton weighs between nine and 13 kilograms, depending on the model, the Brompton Electric has a weight of 16 kilograms. However the 2.8-kilogram battery can be removed and carried separately, to make it easier to use.
"The vision for the Brompton Electric was to make a product that was as light as possible without sacrificing durability, and was extremely compact," said chief design and engineering officer Will Carleysmith.
The Brompton Electric can run for up to 50 miles on a single charge, and there are three power assistance levels for cyclists to choose from.
Brompton has also released an accompanying smartphone app, that lets users track their mileage and customise settings for the bike.
The decision to launch the bike was fuelled by the increasing demand for e-bike ownership across mainland Europe. This trend has resulted in several new launches, from Pininfarina's sports-car-inspired design, to KiBiSi's lightweight OKO bicycle.
According to Brompton, sales in cities remain behind the trend, because customers lack safe places to keep bicycles. Because of this, it is calling the Brompton Electric a "game changer".
The Brompton Electric is now available to be reserved – as either two or six speed versions, in white or black – and the first models will be shipped in early 2018.
| A deZeen release || August 2, 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