Mar 07, 2018 - Security printer ABnote is moving ahead with plans to shut down its plastic card manufacturing business based at Christchurch and move the operation to Australia.
“The manufacturing will finish here at the end of March and we’ll all be out by the end of April,” says a staff member at ABnote NZ, based at 25 Halwyn Drive, in Sockburn, Christchurch.
E tū union spokesman Joe Gallagher says the lease on the old factory was due to expire and the company was not prepared to reinvest in equipment or property.
About 50 workers will lose their jobs at the site but some may be offered jobs at other ABnote locations in New Zealand and Australia.
“Most people will have cards in their wallet that were made at this site,” says Gallagher. “They produce bank cards, ID cards, loyalty cards and a lot more. It’s a real shame that these good kiwi-made products are just the next product to have production moved off-shore.”
Gallagher says that while the company may offer employment at other sites, this would be unrealistic for most workers.
“Families can’t just up and move to New South Wales. The company has indicated that they may help people find other jobs – we expect them to take the commitment very seriously.”
ABnote is the longest-established supplier of secure transaction products, services and logistics in Australia and New Zealand, employing around 600 people. The company is a market leader in identity cards, smart card solutions, instant issuance solutions, cheques, financial cards, driver’s licences and high-resolution barcodes.
Source: Print@1 Australia || March 07, 2018 |||
Mar 07 - Young New Zealanders will soon be able to set their sights on Portugal to live, work and play.
Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has announced that up to 50 young New Zealanders a year will be able to live and work in Portugal for up to 12 months.
The announcement follows the signing today of a reciprocal working holiday scheme, during the visit to New Zealand of the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities Abroad, H.E. José Luís Carneiro.
Mr Lees-Galloway says today’s announcement provides a great opportunity for young Kiwis to broaden their horizons, and for young Portuguese people to enjoy New Zealand’s warm hospitality and incredible environments.
“Portugal is an important partner for New Zealand on a wide range of international issues, and a strong supporter of the effective rules-based international system that underpins our security and prosperity,” he says.
“It’s important that our political relationship is complemented by strong links between our people, and especially our young people. The new working holiday scheme will help to strengthen these links, and to deepen the relationship between New Zealand and Portugal still further over the years to come.”
The Portugal-New Zealand working holiday scheme will be open from 20 March 2018 to people between 18 and 30 years old. New Zealanders wishing to apply should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact the Portuguese Embassy in Canberra (or, if living offshore, the Portuguese Embassy in their country of residence).
| A beehive release || march 07 |||
How New Zealand can meet the challenge of feeding some of the predicted global population of 10 billion by 2050, will be a major focus at a Techweek event in Tauranga in May. World-leading meat, dairy and horticultural industries have established New Zealand’s reputation as a producer of food. But NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says the country’s collaborative agricultural ecosystem is shifting its efforts to developing sustainable ways to feed the world. “Will the future of food production rely on robots and data, or a global consumer shift toward alternative proteins? These are just some of the agritech issues that are so important for New Zealand’s economy that will be discussed in Tauranga on May 23.” Techweek, which is being run by NZTech, is a major nationwide festival of tech and innovation events held in many towns and cities around the country. Muller says exploding populations, sustainability and increasingly unpredictable climates are some of the problems agriculture is facing globally which require urgent answers. “Alternatives to traditional food sources and farming methods are revolutionising the way we think about feeding the world,” he says. “New Zealand’s reputation as a producer of high-quality meat and dairy products affords us opportunities as the world’s boutique farmer, which New Zealand agritech companies are leveraging in all sorts of imaginative and inspiring ways. “New Zealand’s agritech sector which adds billions of dollars annually to the gross domestic product will be showcased on May 23 as part of the massive national Techweek festival this year.” He says New Zealand’s primary industries are the backbone of the country’s economy and integrating them with technology is the future for a prosperous nation. “New Zealand agritech, such as herd improvement software, pasture mapping and management are being merged into on-farm practices, maximising increases in productivity and profitability for the benefit of all Kiwis. “Technology has major potential to support higher productivity and more sustainable use of natural resources in farming. It’s great that government has a technical advisory group to advise the Ministry of Primary Industries on how to accelerate the use of smart agriculture technology. “Reigniting primary productivity in the rural sector is critical for both farmer profitability and New Zealand’s global competitiveness. Digital agriculture, in the form of precision farming, big data, sensor technology, robotics and drones, delivers a new potential for productivity gains across rural New Zealand,” Muller says. Techweek includes nearly 300 events in more than 30 centres all over New Zealand from Northland to Otago, including tech and innovation ecosystem events, conferences, school activities and business events. Techweek promotes New Zealand tech and innovation to the world and supports the growth of our fastest growing and third biggest industry in New Zealand.
| A MakeLemonade release || March 07, 2018 |||
EasyBuild, the New Zealand prefabricated home provider, today welcomed Minister for Housing, Hon. Phil Twyford, to its Masterton factory to open a new show home village.
Economic adviser Gary Cohn is leaving the White House after a dispute over trade, the latest in a string of high-profile departures.
China boasts more than its fair share of impressive engineering feats, including the world's second-tallest skyscraper and the highest bridge. We can soon add highest skybridge to the list too, courtesy of Moshe Safdie's Raffles City Chongqing project, which is currently under construction in southwest China.
Mar 07, 2018 - MYOB Group, the Australian tax, accounting and business software company, lifted sales and profit in New Zealand in 2017 while seeking regulatory clearance on both sides of the Tasman to buy accounting software firm Reckon
Fonterra and Beca have partnered to develop a breakthrough virtual reality health and safety training technology. The cutting-edge solution lets employees navigate the Co-operative’s manufacturing and distribution sites without the need to set foot on site and will help substantially reduce onboarding times.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is the next wave of technology and New Zealand must present a fresh window to help encourage women into tech roles. Big corporations across every industry, from retail to agriculture, are trying to integrate machine learning into their products and the global thirst for AI is fuelling a heated race to climb aboard the new revolution.
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