LGNZ’s Water 2050: Quality – Review of the framework for water quality discussion paper released today has identified three key issues for New Zealand’s framework for water quality, and points to opportunities for change that could be a focus under the Government’s Three Waters Review.

Synlait Milk (NZX: SML; ASX: SM1) is pleased with the progress made on the building of its advanced liquid dairy packaging facility by Tetra Pak.  The two companies have worked together for over ten years, beginning with the building of Synlait’s anhydrous milkfat (AMF) plant in 2007.

The new facility will produce fresh milk and cream for Foodstuffs South Island's private label brands from early 2019, and will be a platform for Synlait to pursue a range of dairy-based products for export markets.

Tetra Pak is a subsidiary of the Tetra Laval Group, which is a multinational food packaging and liquid food processing company focusing on milk. It is considered a world leader in sterile packaging plants that can offer a range of packaging formats.

“Synlait and Tetra Pak are working closely to ensure the new facility includes as many new technology advances as possible, and that we make the most of any new product offerings,” says Neil Betteridge, Director Operations.

“The $125 million facility will be highly automated and include milk track and trace systems, and the latest PET inline sterile bottle blowing technology. We will also have cool store automated packing and order-picking gantries,” says Mr Betteridge.

“All of these capabilities combine to create a smart, modern and efficient facility that can produce both domestic products for the South Island market and export products to the highest food safety standards,” he says.

The facility will be one of the most sophisticated fresh milk and cream processing facilities in New Zealand, and will produce up to 24,000 bottles per hour.

Construction of the facility began in February and preliminary work such as foundations and site services were completed in May. The focus has now shifted to completing exterior walls and making the facility watertight, in order to begin the internal construction of processing equipment and facilities.

Synlait’s advanced liquid dairy packaging facility is expected to be commissioned in early 2019.

“We are excited about this new chapter in our history and we will be looking to hire talented operations staff to operate the new facility in late 2018,” says Mr Betteridge.

|| Depopulation not a nice word really  . . . The Labour Government from the outset were determined to make their mark. To long under National’s shadow their time had come, albeit with a strong green twinge and another colour mixed in, they are now well on the way to meeting their goal; with Kiwibuild, the energy sector strangulation, very soon the students before the teachers and right now Depopulation.

"  Rural Media is going through challenging times, right when they need it least according to Mediawatch.  Several titles are soon to be discontinued including NZFarmer which has been delivered free to rural letterboxes every Friday, others have changed hands with one commentator telling Mediawatch  "The most important thing is that the rural media is owned by people who understand the rural scene".  Makes sense.

#  New Zealand’s innovation agency, Callaghan Innovation, congratulates the outstanding winners of the 2018 Hi-Tech Awards and urges the wider business community to check out the opportunities for tech and innovation support as they grow.

#  International Whaling Commission calls for immediate action to protect critically-endangered Māui dolphins.  The International Whaling Commission has called on the New Zealand government to remove dangerous fishing nets from Māui dolphin habitat.

A Whangarei-based engineering consultancy has used its experience of working in the aftermath of New Zealand's most recent earthquakes to develop an idea for a navigation and data system as part of NZ's effort to facilitate life in space. Christine Allen speaks to Adrian Tonks of Engin.Systems about how his team developed the system which came third in the northern regionals of the NZ Space Challenge this week.

Consensus is a Kiwi startup that launched this year with the intention to revolutionise its industry. The company offers effectively an ‘online marketplace of lawyers’ to make using legal services significantly less daunting with fixed up-front fees and a client-centric focus.

#  Another day another Kiwi startup blooming with a solution based off data.  Acuris Systems is a Kiwi startup that launched this year looking to disrupt the kiwifruit industry in New Zealand by redefining ‘attention to detail’.

#  Housing, a subject that has kept the media busy and certainly propelled a certain Member of Parliment into the headlines.