Feb 27, 2018  - Synlait (NZX: SML; ASX: SM1) has conditionally purchased 28 hectares of land in Pokeno, North Waikato, to establish their second nutritional powder manufacturing site.

Currently an undeveloped site in New Zealand’s North Island, Synlait expects to invest around $260 million in the coming years as we establish our infant base powder manufacturing capability at the site.

Feb 27, 2018  -  Freshmax is thrilled to be launching their Munch’n kiwiberries into India this week. This will be the first shipment of New Zealand kiwiberries into India, as a result of a great relationship with importer Suri Agro Fresh. They have been quick to recognise a recent surge in interest for fresh berries with their consumers, and wanted to add kiwiberries to their product offering. This also complements their range of other New Zealand produce, such as kiwifruit, apples and avocados.

Feb 26, 2018  - Tracking to top end of full year EBITDA guidance with implementation of strategic review underway

Feb 22, 2018  -  Trailer builder, MaxiTRANS, has released a new mezzanine deck system, SafeADJUST, reportedly boosting safety and productivity over traditional systems that require manual operation.  “Simple and fast to operate, SafeADJUST helps operators to better meet site work health and safety requirements,” MaxiTRANS said in a statement.

Feb 22, 2018  -  A leading economist saysNew Zealanders will have to wait until later in the year to see where the needle settles on the government’s ‘superficial change v substantive change’ spectrum. Dr Ganesh Nana, chief economist at BERL, says either way the longer-term case for change, along with external influences, will continue to question the strength of the foundations of New Zealand’s recent charmed economic ride. Dr Nana will give a keynote presentation at a NZ Health IT (NZHIT) event in Auckland next Tuesday, February 27. He says the new government has styled itself as the government of change. But, will it be superficial or substantive? “For businesses in the health sector, the shift beyond GDP (as a measure of prosperity) means access is also important. Suggested measures incorporate a four capitals approach where inclusion is part of social capital. Is there trust and are there institutions enabling communities to enjoy as well as contribute to broader wellbeing? “Are communities able to access services, or are some excluded? Will the much-vaunted technology advances maintain, enable and improve broad access to health services, or improve services for select proportion of the population as others experience depleted services? “The capability and capacity of homecare and aged care workforce prompts similar questions as to whether services are inclusive or exclusive to groups in the community. “In other sectors the overall case for change is clear, though not widely accepted. While New Zealand’s economic growth story has been enviable at the headline level, the sustainability of the drivers - dairy, tourism and immigration - was always questionable. “The side-effects of deteriorating water quality in rivers and streams, strained regional tourism infrastructure, and housing shortages have increased the prominence of these questions. “The affordability of maintaining local infrastructure in the face of static or declining ratepayer base, accentuates long-term sustainability questions. “Workforce numbers and skills continue to dog the economic story, with productivity and per-capita growth noticeably less impressive. The concentration of the distribution of prosperity has strained some social indicators. “Ageing demographics call into question the long-term viability of government finances then there are external influences such as geo-political instability, such as BREXIT, US, China, Korea, Russia, Persian Gulf, trade barriers; climate change, robotics and synthetic foods. “The fundamental economic strategy based on low inflation and low wages, with an increasingly large safety net required by government is not delivering the results desired by many. “The new government has signalled changes in the form of larger transfers to lower income families, higher minimum wage, regional development boost, research and development incentives and house building. These appear more of the same, but perhaps superficial rather than substantive changes in economic framework or strategy.” Dr Nana says changes around monetary and tax policy remain in the wait and see category. Potentially substantive changes lie in the performance indicators associated with the Living Standards Framework to be incorporated in forthcoming Budget announcements. Measuring economic performance via indicators beyond GDP growth have the potential to require more balanced investment and policy actions. Treasury drafts favour a four capitals approach – financial/physical capital, human capital, natural capital and social capital, he says. “While in line with including child poverty targets in the Public Finance Act, the extent of and appetite for incorporating the ‘4 capitals’ approach into the NZ economic and policy framework will determine whether this is substantive or superficial.”

| A MakeLemonade release   ||  February 22, 2018   |||

Feb 22, 2018  -  An influx of Italian Zespri kiwifruit growers this week will finish up their tour of orchards around New Zealand. The 20 visitors are the first in a series of ‘technical tour’ groups that will bring 120 people from Korea, Japan, China, France and Italy to New Zealand orchards this year.

Feb 22, 2018  -  Air New Zealand today announced earnings before taxation for the first six months of the 2018 financial year of $323 million, compared to $349 million in the prior period. Net profit after taxation was $232 million.

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   |||