Feb 16, 2018  - Five months after it was requested under the Official Information Act, Callaghan Innovation has now released its 2016/17 entertainment expenses.  The bill increased from the previous year, going from $304,675 to $308,969.

Feb 16, 2018  - Two industry leading companies today announced a partnership to significantly enhance the enjoyment and safety of RV enthusiasts by digitally connecting this fast growing international community.

Feb 16, 2018  -  Lost in all of the excitement around crypto is the fact that the very foundation of how civilizations organize, cooperate, and grow is being re-established.  Seeing a child come into the world is a pretty profound experience. Only a few moments before, there was no organism. After, there is and that “thing,” that life, has within it the potential to change itself and change the world many times over.

Feb 15, 2018  - The Government’s decision to rule-out funding for embattled company Fletcher Building is a refreshing change from years of corporate welfare and a bad habit of taxpayers’ money being used to bailout private businesses, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says “The previous Government used our money to bail out Solid Energy, Rio Tinto, and even Mediaworks. It’s great news for taxpayers that the new Government is starting their term by refusing to continue that policy.” “Company bailouts are socialism for the rich. Shareholders don’t have to face any risk for their investment and the average taxpayer ends up footing the bill.” “Sometimes taxpayer groups are accused of always being negative. Here we want to applaud David Parker and his Government for making the principled, moral, and right decision.” | A taxpayers Union release  ||  February 15, 2018   |||

Feb 14, 2018  -  The construction union, E tū says it is working to clarify the effect of Fletcher Building and Interiors’ huge loss on its members at Fletchers.

“We’re still coming to terms with the fact that the country’s biggest building company is no longer bidding for new commercial projects, which is just extraordinary,” says Ron Angel, E tū’s Industry Coordinator for Engineering and Infrastructure.

“We’re trying to find out what happens next, but we will have members affected by this – though it’s currently unclear how many,” he says.

Ron says union organisers had visited Fletcher sites in Christchurch this morning, where members had been told to expect closure once work is finished on company projects including the city’s Justice and Emergency Services Precinct.

“Our immediate focus is to protect our members’ interests. We hope if there are redundancies our members can be redeployed in other Fletcher divisions. Some will be entitled to redundancy pay, but others won’t,” says Ron.

Ron says E tū has also spoken with members about the factors behind the near-billion dollar losses.

“In part, this is a result of too many people in head office doing the paperwork and pushing up overheads, and too few people on the ground doing the work,” says Ron.

He says a lack of experience in project management also meant a lot of mistakes, especially on the Justice precinct project.

“Our members have told us that 50 percent of that project was built twice.

“The workers say they’d put stuff up and a week later they’d be pulling it down again because the design changed or there were design faults, cracked tiles and the like. And there was too little supervision, with no one taking responsibility for the quality of the work.”

Poor cost control had also been flagged by the division’s Chair, Sir Ralph Norris, who has resigned.

Ron says Fletchers’ losses are “a salutary indictment of the sub-contracting model which is killing the construction industry in New Zealand.

“It means Fletchers has been unable to control costs and quality on these big projects and the result is just gobsmacking.”

| An E tū release  ||  February 14, 2018   |||

Feb 14, 2018  -  Global design firm Stantec is strengthening its New Zealand and Australia-based capabilities with the planned acquisition of Wellington, New Zealand-based consulting transportation engineering firm, Traffic Design Group (TDG). With more than 80 team members, TDG has offices located in markets throughout New Zealand, including Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, and Christchurch. The firm also has an office in Sydney, Australia. The transaction is expected to close April 1.

Feb 09, 2018  - Exascale computing company, Nyriad, announced that it has completed its Series A investment round, bringing it to a total of over US$11 million raised to date.

Feb 08, 2018  -  Auckland Airport today announced that it will build a new 65,000m2 distribution centre and a support centre for Foodstuffs North Island Ltd. The facility will be developed within Stage 4 of The Landing Business Park and will be constructed over a three year period, with completion scheduled to occur in late-2020. The development will comprise a world-class distribution centre plus a 5-star green-rated support centre, situated in landscaped and park-like surroundings.

Feb 08, 2018  - Statement by Reserve Bank Governor Grant Spencer.  The Reserve Bank today left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 1.75 percent.Global economic growth continues to improve. While global inflation remains subdued, there are some signs of emerging pressures. Commodity prices have increased, although agricultural prices are relatively soft. International bond yields have increased since November but remain relatively low. Equity markets have been strong, although volatility has increased recently. Monetary policy remains easy in the advanced economies but is gradually becoming less stimulatory.

Feb 07, 2018 - The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent in the December 2017 quarter, down from 4.6 percent last quarter, Stats NZ said today.  “This quarter’s unemployment rate is the lowest since the December 2008 quarter, when it was 4.4 percent,” labour market and household statistics senior manager Jason Attewell said. “However, the underutilisation rate was just over 12 percent –reflecting about 340,000 New Zealanders with potential to work more. This measure is just as important as the unemployment rate.”