Qatar Airways takes delivery of first Airbus A350-1000. The official handover ceremony took place on Tuesday (European time) at Airbus’s headquarters in Toulouse, France. The aircraft, A7-ANA, is the first of 37 A350-1000s Qatar Airways has on order. It is powered by Rolls-Royce engines.
Feb 21, 2018 - Exporters appreciate progress made towards signing the CPTPP and the transparency around the final version of the agreement, says ExportNZ.
Feb 21, 2018 - Better for Business (B4B), a cross-agency programme led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), has partnered with its nine other agencies to showcase a range of breakthrough government services and digital initiatives designed for business at the D5 2018 summit in Wellington.
New Zealand is among the D5 nations, recognised as the world’s five most digitally capable, alongside South Korea, the United Kingdom, Israel and Estonia. Canada and Uruguay have just joined.
“Coming together with the world’s most advanced digital nations allows us to both share and learn, so we can keep innovating and improving government services with our business customers in mind,” says Lisa Casagranda, Director, B4B at MBIE.
B4B is dedicated to improving the experiences businesses have when dealing with government, so they can operate more efficiently, effectively, and with more confidence.
Its showcased initiatives include the Accounting Income Method (AIM) – led by Inland Revenue to give businesses a pay-as-you go option for provisional tax, in anticipation of the changes to the provisional tax payments system kicking in on 1 April 2018.
MBIE’s Business.govt.nz is also showcased, including its online tools and services tailored to the individual needs of small business. This B4B partner has seen huge demand for its services, including the Employment Agreement Builder, which has been used by businesses to create more than 390,000 employment agreements since its inception in 2016.
WorkSafe’s Around the Block and Ports interactive tools enable businesses to understand health and safety risk management in their business context and operating environment.
“New Zealand is a great place to do business, but we know that dealing with government can be painful. B4B works with businesses and others to identify and deploy the best digital solutions, and give businesses assurance that they’re doing things right while on a pathway to growth,” says Ms Casagranda.
The theme for the D5 2018 summit is ‘e kōre e taea e te whenu kotaki te whāriki te raranga’ — ‘one strand alone will not weave a tapestry’ — with a particular focus on digital rights.
B4B is led by MBIE, working alongside Inland Revenue, ACC, Callaghan Innovation, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the New Zealand Customs Service, Stats NZ, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, NZ Transport Agency, and WorkSafe New Zealand.
| A MBIE release || February 2018 |||
feb 21, 2018 - Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited today announced that Chief Financial Officer, Tony Barclay, will retire at the end of May 2018. Tony will continue to support the company in a consulting role over the following 12 months. “Having made a huge contribution to the growth of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare over the past 22 years, Tony has decided to step away from his role to allow him to have more time for family, personal travel and consider areas of future interest,” said Managing Director & CEO Lewis Gradon. “We would like to thank Tony for the dedication he has shown and his commitment to the company throughout his time with Fisher & Paykel Healthcare,” said Mr Gradon. “It has been a privilege to have been part of an exceptional team for the past 22 years. I have enjoyed my time immensely and am extremely proud of what we have achieved as a company. The company’s ongoing opportunities for growth are very exciting and I look forward to seeing many of those opportunities come to fruition. I would particularly like to thank the people who I have worked with for their support and friendship and also the investor/analyst community for the enjoyable interactions we have had over the years. In terms of my own future, I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and then considering areas of future interest,” said Mr Barclay. The company is pleased to announce that Andrea Blackie, GM Finance has been appointed to the role of Acting Chief Financial Officer with effect from 1 June 2018. Ms Blackie has been with Fisher & Paykel Healthcare since January 2017 in the role of General Manager Finance. Prior to joining the company, Andrea was an Executive Director within PwC Assurance New Zealand. She has over 15 years’ experience in New Zealand and the United Kingdom working with a number of listed global manufacturing and technology businesses. “The company has commenced a formal process to appoint Tony’s successor and we will update the market in due course. We thank Tony for all of his many years’ of loyal service and commitment, and wish him all the very best. He will be greatly missed and difficult to replace,” concluded Mr Gradon.
About Fisher & Paykel HealthcareFisher & Paykel Healthcare is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of products and systems for use in respiratory care, acute care, surgery and the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The company’s products are sold in over 120 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, visit our website www.fphcare.com.
| A Fisher & Paykel release | february 21, 2018 |||
Feb 21, 2018 - For the first time in Rafic Al Hariri International Airport’s history, Emirates will operate a special one-off A380 test service to Beirut on March 29. The airline’s flagship double-decker will become the first-ever scheduled A380 service to Beirut, and Emirates is working with the airport to test the operations and necessary infrastructure to accommodate an A380 service.
Feb 21, 2018 - Emirates will resume a second daily service between Dubai and Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, from June 1, in the process providing direct connections with Emirates’ daily New Zealand services in both directions.
The flight will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class cabin configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class, and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.
Portugal boasts a warm temperate climate and a long coastline of beaches, scenic villages and a rich culture and history, attracting visitors from all over the world. According to Turismo de Portugal, a record 21 million people visited the country in 2017, an increase of 10 percent when compared to the previous year, while Lisbon recorded a 16 percent increase.
“Portugal is experiencing an upturn in its economy and strong tourism growth. The second daily service between Dubai and Lisbon will therefore meet growing demand for seats on the route, as well as offer our customers in Portugal and from across Emirates’ worldwide network more choice and flexibility when planning their travel,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West.
More connectivity
The second flight, EK193, will depart Dubai at 1425hrs and arrive in Lisbon at 1940hrs, while the return flight EK194, will leave Lisbon at 2115hrs and land in Dubai at 0805 the next morning. Emirates’ current flight, EK191, departs Dubai at 0725hrs and arrives in Lisbon at 1235pm. The return flight EK192, departs Lisbon at 1415pm and arrives back in Dubai 0110pm.
Named the Best Airline in the World by TripAdvisor in 2017, customers can look forward to the highest levels of care and comfort, from the warm hospitality of Emirates’ multinational cabin crew, including Portuguese nationals, to being entertained by ice, which offers up to 3000 channels of on demand audio and visual entertainment from the latest movies, music and games. Customers also enjoy chef prepared meals and complimentary beverages, while families are also well catered for with dedicated products and services for children.
| A Emirates release || February 21, 2018 |||
Feb 21, 2018 - Over two days, the Produce Marketing Association Australia-New Zealand (PMA A-NZ) is hosting two events for the fresh produce and floral industry in Auckland, New Zealand. The first event is the PMA A-NZ Fresh Forum & Networking Drinks to take place at La Cigale, The French Market on 28 February. This forum is open to all industry members and is an opportunity to tackle big industry topics through robust discussion between members, guests and the PMA A-NZ board.
Feb 21, 2018 - Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (Fonterra) and The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) have today entered into a comprehensive strategic relationship that links Fonterra’s global milk pool and supply chain, manufacturing capability and in-market sales and distribution capacity with a2MC’s brand strength and capabilities.
As part of the partnership, Fonterra will now begin conversations with its farmers to source an A2 milk pool for a2MC products in New Zealand, which is intended to significantly expand over time to help meet the growing demand for a2MC products. A similar milk pool in Australia will also be developed.
Announcing the deal, Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings and a2MC Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Babidge said the partnership is designed to generate returns for both companies by growing demand in both local and international markets for products using a2MC’s brand strength and capabilities.
“The partnership is intended to fast-track market growth and this creates opportunity for our farmers to create additional value from their milk,” said Mr Spierings. “Fonterra’s high quality milk pools, our global supply chain, our manufacturing capabilities and knowledge, and our in-market sales and distribution expertise is being combined with a2MC’s brand strength to unlock new opportunities in a wide range of international markets. It is a win-win for both companies.
“We continue to see a strong future for dairy based on our existing range of products, including recent additions such as organic, low-lactose and high protein milk choices that consumers seek out for a premium. The a2MC products promoted by this partnership sit well within our overall portfolio of products.
“Consumers like to have choices and the growth of a2MC branded nutritional powders and fresh milk sales in Australia, for example, shows the potential. This partnership is all about finding ways to continue to delight our consumers and generate more value for our farmers.”
The partnership encompasses: